Tired Of Trains? Hoboken Mayoral Candidate Floats $5 New York Ferry Rides

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken residents have recently become frustrated with PATH train delays, stuck buses in the Lincoln Tunnel, and other transit woes. So why not just sail across the river to Manhattan instead?

Tickets for NY Waterway ferries are $10 each way for occasional trips, whereas the trains and buses cost less than half that.

But one Hoboken mayoral candidate and current councilman wants to make a change.

Ruben Ramos announced a plan on Tuesday to establish permanent $5 ferry service between Hoboken and New York City, which he said will make commuting faster, more reliable, more affordable, and even cleaner.

Earlier this year, when the Hoboken PATH service shut down for repairs for a month, NY Waterway offered $3 discounted ferry fares to ensure residents could still get to work, he noted.

"The response was immediate, and ridership surged, proving that cost is a major barrier to ferry use," he said in a statement.

“My plan is simple,” he added. “We will work with ferry operators to keep fares at $5 for Hoboken commuters, without the chaos of cross-honoring. By increasing ridership, we can run more frequent service, improve efficiency, and lower costs for everyone. The PATH is not getting any better, and the Port Authority is not fixing it anytime soon."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to close the Hoboken PATH station on Labor Day weekend to make repairs, after they said the repairs done in February left some matters to be dealt with. READ MORE: PATH Train Derailment Forces Delays, Fixes

Under Ramos’ proposal, the city would partner with ferry operators such as NY Waterway to provide financial support that offsets costs for Hoboken residents, he said.

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READ MORE: 2 More Candidates Announce Campaigns For Hoboken Mayor