Staten Island Ferry to Get Increased Morning Service

ST. GEORGE — The city's moving closer to eliminating hourlong waits for Staten Island Ferry customers trying to get cross New York Harbor early in the morning.

Starting on May 1, the ferry will add six round trips per week: three on Sunday mornings and one on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. The mayor will also add funding in the budget to make boats run every 30-minutes everyday.

"The Staten Island Ferry is the lifeline for an entire borough," de Blasio said in a statement.

"Setting a 30-minute standard for service will help Staten Islanders work, grow businesses on the island, and bring us closer to a day when every New Yorker has access to frequent, reliable public transit."

The new trips depart St. George at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Sunday; and 12:30 a.m. Monday, the mayor's office said. The increased service also includes return trips a half-hour later from Manhattan and will cost the city about $700,000 annually.

Last May, the city expanded half-hour service from Friday through Saturday as the first-phase of a bill approved by the City Council in 2013.

However, the service still switches to hourlong wait times at 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Aside more Staten Island Ferry trips, the mayor also announced in February plans to increase ferry service throughout the five boroughs. New routes include Astoria, southern Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, Soundview and Rockaway Beach that will cost the same as a subway ride.

The city also plans to expand service to Coney Island and Stapleton once more money is secured.