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A ferry from Glen Cove to Manhattan could cost $ 45 or more per round-trip, well above the Long Island Rail Road fare and far more than what commuters said they were willing to pay, according to a preliminary version of the report. 39, a study on the proposed ferry service.
The study recommends four ferry departures each morning at rush hour, with stops on Wall Street and 34th Street, as well as four boats returning in the afternoon, said deputy mayor of Glen Cove, Maureen Basdavanos.
The study, conducted by Port Chester-based consultant TMS Waterfront, was funded by developer RXR Realty, based in Uniondale, a major partner in the $ 1 billion Garvies Point development project, near construction. the ferry terminal of the city.
The $ 45 fare is the estimated price needed for two 99-passenger boats that make 62% of their trip to the bottom to cover their costs, said Basdavanos. The initial number of users of TMS projects would be 62% or less, but could increase over time, she said.
Basdavanos agreed to discuss the study project, but refused to publish it until it was finalized, probably in the next few days. The numbers could change, she said.
Basdavanos said the study will guide the city in its readiness to ask ferry operators to submit their commissioning proposals in the spring of 2020. In 2016, at the end of the construction of the ferry terminal, Glen Cove donated Has not received a ferry proposal. The terminal has been empty since.
No itinerary or prices are final, and reduced monthly fares or 10 trips are likely, said Basdavanos.
A rate of $ 45 would be 67% higher than LIRR commuters ($ 27) for a peak-hour commute between Glen Cove and Penn Station. A monthly LIRR pass is $ 297.
A 2017 survey of people riding a special ferry in the summer to help LIRR passengers avoid a "hellish summer" at Penn Station revealed that only 12% were willing to pay between $ 40 and $ 45 for a service. return ferry. A 2015 city survey of potential commuters for the ferry found that 75% would not pay more than $ 25.
Basdavanos said some commuters – especially those working on Wall Street near the ferry dock – would be willing to pay more for a "much more relaxing trip" aboard the ferry, during which they could watch the water while sipping a coffee concession stand on board. LIRR commuters have to take the Penn subway to get to a job in Lower Manhattan.
Donovan Finn, a planner at Stony Brook University, said "a considerable number of potential passengers can afford" the $ 45 fare.
"The question will be whether the experience [of the ferry] justify the difference in cost, "he said.
Departure times should be commuter work schedules, Finn said. A major complaint of the ferry in the summer of 2017 was inconvenient times.
The amount of the tariff depends on the potential subsidies. RXR, which sees the ferry as a convenience for future residents of Garvies Point, has agreed to pay a $ 1 million grant over two years. Mayor Timothy Tenke has requested state grants, but the state has yet to commit anything. Tyrone Stevens, a spokesman for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, said that "conversations are underway."
The $ 45 tariff would be without subsidies and would not take into account the profits of the ferry operator, said Basdavanos.
Future options include adding a cheaper and faster service to a Bronx dock where passengers could connect to the $ 2.75 per-way ferry system from New York City, she said. declared.
The study must be completed before the January 1 deadline for the city to begin ferry service or risk a refund order of $ 16.6 million in federal grants used to build the ferry terminal and dredging of Glen Cove Brook. A condition of the subsidies is a regular ferry service.
The Federal Highway Administration plans to extend the January 1 deadline, but wants to review the city's ferry plan first. That's why Glen Cove commissioned the study. Agency spokeswoman, Nancy Singer, said the deadline was unchanged for the moment.
At a meeting in May with agency officials, Tenke explained that it would be difficult to launch the ferry service next year, as barges and other equipment will be installed at Glen Cove Creek – from where the boats depart – for the installation of bulkheads and other work, as well as for the construction on Garvies Point Road leading to the terminal.
In addition, RXR is expected to complete the construction of nearly half of the 1,111 apartments and condos planned for Garvies Point by the end of 2019.
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