'Exploding' NYC Ferry Costs Lead Comptroller To Propose Takeover

NEW YORK — The city's ferry system is getting so expensive that it may need a new captain, City Comptroller Scott Stringer said Wednesday. Citing the ballooning price tag for Mayor Bill de Blasio's signature NYC Ferry network, Stringer called for the Department of Transportation to examine whether it could steer the program instead of the Economic Development Corporation.

"The Economic Development Corporation’s contract with NYC Ferry operator Hornblower raises serious questions about the exploding costs and liabilities that the City is choosing to absorb, all while handing over millions in revenue to a private contractor — questions that to-date have not been sufficiently answered," Stringer, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Since its launch in May 2017, NYC Ferry has expanded to six routes and carried millions of riders. The EDC oversees the program and handles the contract with Hornblower, the private company that operates the service.

While the ferries have proven popular, they're also expensive — the city subsidizes the service to the tune of $10.73 per trip, nearly twice the rate for the Staten Island Ferry, according to a Citizens Budget Commission report released last week.

The EDC's contract with Hornblower has reportedly driven up the cost even more. Because the firm did not provide its own boats, the city is supposed to shell out $232 million for 38 floaters, and the city's capital plan contains $137 million more for boat buys to come, THE CITY reported Tuesday.

A Department of Transportation takeover could have several benefits, Stringer argued. The agency already has experience running the Staten Island Ferry, he said, and the switch could cut out redundancies, provide transparency that's lacking under the EDC and allow the city to pocket all fare and concession revenues.

"Given all of these potential benefits, DOT should examine the feasibility of such a takeover as soon as possible," Stringer said.

This reportedly is not the first time Stringer has raised eyebrows over the Hornblower deal. The comptroller's office sent City Hall questions about the contract last month, according to the New York Post.

But a spokesman for de Blasio, who has championed the ferry service, reportedly defended the program and took a jab at Stringer, who may run for mayor in 2021.

"With nearly nine million rides and counting, it’s clear that people love the NYC Ferry because it’s improved their lives," the spokesman, Seth Stein, told amNewYork in a statement. "It saves them time and connects them to places that other forms of transit do not reach. The comptroller should put politics aside and recognize the necessity of expanding public transit for New Yorkers."