ST. GEORGE — New charging stations have been installed at the St. George and Whitehall Staten Island Ferry terminals so riders can power up their phones before boarding the boat.
The Department of Transportation added six stations inside former payphone kiosks at the St. George Terminal and four at the Whitehall Terminal, each with two electrical outlets and four USB plugs. It plans to install similar facilities on the ferries in the future.
"We do have to update with the times," said Tom Cocola, Staten Island borough commissioner for the DOT. "We heard loud and clear that this amenity is desired."
The DOT turned power back on at the outlets on the boats two weeks ago and the decision to install the stations at the terminals was not influenced by the fights over ports, said Jim DeSimone, deputy commissioner for the DOT and chief operating officer for the ferry.
"I don't think that necessarily factored into it," said DeSimone.
"There was a question raised as to why we didn't have them, discussions with the commissioner and City Hall and the mayor decided that we should have these types of amenities so we put them in."
The DOT said it would work with the NYPD to prevent fights breaking out over the outlets but, because of the number of available ports at the new charging stations — 48 in St. George and 44 in Whitehall — it doesn't believe it will have the same problems.
Aside from adding the stations to the terminal, the DOT is also planning to install them on the boats themselves. They are planned to be a part of the three new ferries being built to replace aging ships in the fleet.
The DOT does not have a timeline for when the stations on the boat will be added.
The stations have screens on them which currently display the ferry schedule and will have advertisements, the DOT said.
