Newport-Providence Ferry Ticket Sales Stay Strong, DOT Says

NEWPORT, RI—The Providence-Newport ferry service launched earlier this year continues to see strong ticket sales after its inaugural weekend over the Independence Day holiday.

Twelve days in, the state Department of Transportation said that more than 5,000 tickets were sold and 30 percent of ticket sales are from out of state.

That's good news for backers of the ferry who said it would provide a viable transportation option to shuttle tourists between the state's two biggest tourism centers—and put Narragansett Bay on stunning display along the way. DOT officials said that the seasonal ferry was to promote tourism and not necessarily a commuter service.

The DOT said that ridership "remained high" on sunny midweek days last week and this week. More than a half-dozen trips were near capacity and about 600 took the ferry despite the cool and damp weather this past weekend.

Those numbers are an encouraging sign that the initial wave of success on opening weekend wasn't a one-shot deal.

"We are excited at the success of the ferry in just its first couple of weeks," RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said. "It shows that visitors are looking for an alternative and easier way to travel between the two cities that lets them enjoy beautiful Narragansett Bay while avoiding traffic and parking challenges."

The DOT now has online ticket purchasing working at www.dot.ri.gov/ferry.

The ferry is operated by New Jersey-based SeaStreak. Passengers ride the 65-foot M/V Ocean State, which completes the trip in about 45 minutes.

SeaStreak was awarded the bid after a state request for proposals in April sought to bring back the service, which ran from 2000 to 2008 with a peak ridership between 30,000 and 40,000 during the busy summer months between June and September, according to a Public Utilities Commission filing.

The high-speed luxury ferry was built by Merrifield-Roberts of Bristol and designed for the Providence to Newport route. It was in service in Narragansett Bay from 2003 to 2008. When the service stopped, she was repurposed to service baseball games and was once listed for sale on Boats.com with an asking price of $2.3 million.

The state is spending about $500,000 on the service. An additional $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is helping cover costs.

The state and SeaStreak said in PUC filings that both will study how the service can become economically viable in future years during this summer's pilot run.