RED HOOK - June 1 will be the official start date for the South Brooklyn route of the citywide ferry connecting Bay Ridge, the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook and Brooklyn Bridge Park to Wall Street, officials announced Thursday.
The $2.75 one-way fare will not offer free transfers to the MTA subways or buses, but riders will be able to transfer for free to other boats in the network, which will include routes to Rockaway, Astoria and along the East River this summer.
A full run from Bay Ridge to Wall Street will take about 48 minutes.
The goal for the South Brooklyn, Astoria and East River routes is for the boats to arrive 20 or 25 minutes apart during peak travel times, said Cameron Clark, senior vice president and project manager of the NYC Ferry, which will be operated by Hornblower Cruises.
In Red Hook, the ferry will dock in the Atlantic Basin, a location people in the neighborhood lobbied for after the city's Economic Development Corporation first proposed a more remote location near the Fairway market at the end of Van Brunt Street.
"Atlantic Basin is the sweet spot - close to NYCHA residents who live furthest from the subway, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Van Brunt retail, and attractions such as Pioneer Works and PortSide NewYork," said Carolina Salguero, the founder and president of PortSide NewYork, which operates on an historic oil tanker docked next to the future ferry dock.
Brooklyn Bridge Park will get two stops on the route — one at Pier 6 where Atlantic Avenue ends, and at Pier 1 at the Fulton Ferry Landing near the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Brooklyn Army Terminal will be home to two routes, as the Rockaway route launching May 1 will connect Rockaway to the Brooklyn Army Terminal to Wall Street.
“The May arrival of our long-awaited Citywide ferry service will transform the way New Yorkers experience transportation on our waterfront," said Councilman Carlos Menchaca. "The first route includes a dock at Sunset Park’s Brooklyn Army Terminal and will serve the area’s growing population and thriving job center. I thank the EDC for recognizing Red Hook’s preference for a ferry location at Atlantic Basin and I look forward to service there later this year."
Menchaca added that "fares pegged to MTA rates are a good start. But our goal must be true fare integration with free transfers honored between our new 'NYC Ferry' and MTA subways and buses.”
Many residents have also been calling for direct connections to other locations, including Governors Island and Staten Island.
"Next up! Ferries for Brooklyn to Staten Island, Brooklyn and Staten Island to NJ, and free transfers to the MTA," Salguero said in an email to DNAinfo New York.
"I also look forward to the possibility of service to Governors Island and the North Shore of Staten Island as the system develops,” Menchaca said.
