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Read the press release here.

Weekday Rockaway Ferry Service Extended Through Labor Day

By Katie Honan | July 2, 2013 1:57pm
 The Rockaway ferry, operated by Seastreak, will continue to ride weekdays through Labor Day weekend.
The Rockaway ferry, operated by Seastreak, will continue to ride weekdays through Labor Day weekend.
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DNAinfo

NEW YORK CITY — The Rockaway ferry will continue its ride, at least until the summer's over, the city announced Tuesday.

Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Robert Steel and Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky announced the weekday service would be extended through Labor Day weekend.

The boat, which costs $2 a ride, makes two morning trips from the ferry landing at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive to lower Manhattan and Midtown.

Last week, Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder delivered a petition with 3,000 signatures demanding that the ferry remain a permanent option for commuters.

The ferry, which was introduced after Sandy knocked out subway service to the area, was extended an additional six weeks in May, once the A train service was restored. A weekend ferry, also announced in May, will begin on July 4.

It will cost $30 roundtrip for adults, or $26 if transferring from the East River Ferry at Pier 11.

After the first extension, the city said they would consider extending it even longer if there was enough ridership.

"We're committed to helping the communities that were hit hard by Sandy rebuild, and this is another way for us to support the residents and small businesses of the Rockaway," Mayor Bloomberg said at the time, in the EDC's statement.

Joe Hartigan, a retired fire lieutenant who's been advocating for a Rockaway ferry since 1998, said the extension is "great."

"Mayor Bloomberg made the statement that if the ridership was he up, he would keep the ferry," he said. "And that's why the ferry stayed. He kept his word."