More than one NY Waterway rider said last week that they choose to commute to work aboard a Waterway ferry because “you can always find a seat.” But for the 23-year old ferry service, that might just be the problem.
NY Waterway – the company that runs service between New York and Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Edgewater – announced an increase in ticket fares beginning April 1, citing the “increased operating cost and decreased ridership.”
The increase in fares varies by destination, but is generally less than 10 per cent, according to NY Waterway spokesman Pat Smith.
“I may end up quitting and looking for a job in New Jersey.” – Haley Elegant
________
The changes affect 13 routes in Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City. They are still lower than the upcoming fare increases on NJ Transit’s rail and bus lines.
‘No one likes paying more’
“No one likes paying more for something they do every day,” Smith said last week. “It’s regrettable and unfortunate but ultimately unavoidable.”
According to the spokesman, ridership is down from 30,000 daily riders in 2008 to 27,000 this past year. “We’re like a family,” Smith said. “And with any family, you have to pay the bills.”
But after the temporary “gas surcharge” the company added to fares last year, some riders are looking elsewhere to get across the river.
One Hoboken resident, Lynne Shapiro, said ferry prices are already more than a lot of would-be passengers can afford. She even welcomed government intervention. “It’s really sad,” she said. “[The ferry] is so lovely to ride, but it’s become such a luxury. It would be nice for New York and New Jersey to utilize this fabulous harbor of ours, and allow people to enjoy it.”
A teacher at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken, Shapiro thinks prices need to go down, not up, before ridership will increase. “More people would use it if the cost was cheaper,” she said. “I mean, there’s hardly anyone ever on it.”
Founder and CEO of NY Waterway Arthur Imperatore released a letter to his customers blaming the low employment rate (which means fewer commuters) and poor weather in 2009 for the hike. “Everyone knows the history about reduced employment,” Imperatore said, “which has had a very serious impact on our ridership.”
He also reminded customers that the privately owned company doesn’t receive subsidies from government agencies, as NJ Transit and the MTA do. In fact, NY Waterway often pays fees to land their ferries in publicly operated terminals.
The price to commute
Many riders were upset, some mainly at the short notice.
“[The hike] really upsets me,” said Haley Elegant, of Weehawken, who heard about the hike two weeks ago. “The cost of working is just so high: the commute, the New York taxes. I may end up quitting and looking for a job in New Jersey, where I’d have the comfort of my own car. We’ll see.”
Ann Cinosky of Boonton, who was taking the Hoboken ferry, noticed the recently posted signs alerting passengers of the increase, but said the company was not very vocal about the subject.
“They’re definitely being very quiet about it,” she said.
Cinosky, who has been riding NY Waterway since Sept. 11, agreed with the company’s motto of a more “civilized commute,” but said the hike will force her to rethink her daily passage.
But not all commuters are looking for other means of getting across the river. Some travelers, like Mike White of Hoboken, are willing to pay the steeper fare.
“Well, I don’t like it,” White said. “But, it’ll be worth it. The ferries are so relaxing and always on time. It just makes for a less stressful commute.”
Filiz Inal of Hoboken, who works in the Financial District in Manhattan, said she would probably still use the ferry system because she has no other choice.
“The PATH is just not convenient enough for me,” she said. “I leave for work at 6 a.m. and the earliest PATH train is 6:15.”
PATH fares to Manhattan are $1.50 per ride, while the ferry trip usually costs $5 or more.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com