Officials Say Providence to Newport Ferry Ridership Beat Expectations

NEWPORT, RI—State officials said the Providence to Newport ferry revived this year after a mult-year hiatus smashed expectations.

A total of 33,221 passenger trips were recorded between July 1 when the service began through Labor Day Weekend. The total ridership was 17 percent higher than original expectations, the DOT said.

"Our seasonal ferry service was created to offer residents and visitors alike the opportunity to travel between Providence and Newport via the jewel of Narragansett Bay," said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. "Thanks to this service, we were also able to help ease traffic and parking woes in Newport, and lessen congestion on the roads between these two cities."

The DOT is now looking toward next summer. The DOT said that the operating costs were funded 100 percent by the federal government using $500,000 of transit funds set aside for these types of projects. Next season could bring a longer operating season, schedule adjustments to meet demand and and other possible ports of call on Narragansett Bay.

The 149-passenger M/V Ocean State offered three round trips on weekdays and four on weekends. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. Sixty-four percent of passengers paid full price and 83 trips were totally sold out, which represents 19 percent of the 444 total trips.

The busiest day of the year was on a hot Saturday July 23 when 762 total passengers climbed aboard. The DOT said the most popular departure time was 10 a.m. from Providence to Newport and the busiest arrival was 6:15 p.m. from Newport to Providence.

"The success of the ferry is more evidence of a great summer for tourism in Rhode Island," said Lara Salamano, Chief Marketing Officer of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. "It's also a testament to the collaboration of the state's communities, regions, hotels and restaurants. We've all worked together to promote the Providence-Newport ferry and the experiences to be had all over the state."

Ferry operator 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 June 9 PUC filing.

The 65-foot Ocean State was built by Merrifield-Roberts of Bristol and designed for the Providence to Newport route, operating 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 $500,000 grant was from the U.S. Department of Transportation and was intended to reduce emissions. The state claimed that upwards of 20,000 cars per day were taken off the road on a given day.

Photo courtesy: RIDOT