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NY Waterway

NY Waterway's Empire State ferry at the Paulus Hook terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey in February 2023
Locale	New Jersey New York
Waterway	Hudson River East River New York Bay
Transit type	Passenger ferry Excursions Sightseeing
Owner	Port Imperial Ferry Company
Began operation	December 3, 1986
No. of lines	23
No. of vessels	32
No. of terminals	18
Daily ridership	18,148 (weekday average, September 2022)

NY Waterway, also known as New York Waterway, is a company that runs ferry boats and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey area. This includes the Hudson River and nearby waterways. The company works with government groups like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to offer its services and keep its docks in good shape.

NY Waterway uses ferry stops in three places in Manhattan. It also has stops in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Edgewater. These are all along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. There is also a stop in South Amboy. During busy times, NY Waterway also helps people cross the river on the Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry and Newburgh–Beacon Ferry. You can also take special trips to places like Yankee Stadium and Governors Island.

The ferry route from Manhattan to Jersey City is a popular way to cross the river. It's an alternative to the George Washington Bridge for hikers and bikers. As of November 2019, NY Waterway has a fleet of 32 boats.

NY Waterway: Your River Ride!
Working with NJ Transit
Ferry Routes and Stops
See also

NY Waterway: Your River Ride!

How It All Began

The company's main office and ferry stop in Weehawken, New Jersey

Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey

In 1981, a man named Arthur Edward Imperatore, Sr. bought a large piece of land in Weehawken, New Jersey. He paid $7.5 million for this land. His plan was to fix up the old industrial area. He also wanted to bring back ferry service to the Hudson River waterfront.

In 1986, Imperatore started New York Waterway. Their first route crossed the river between Weehawken Port Imperial and Pier 78 in Midtown Manhattan. Just three years later, in 1989, they added another route. This one went between Hoboken Terminal and Battery Park City. Over the next ten years, many more routes were added across the Hudson River.

Growing and Facing Challenges

The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center caused a lot of damage. The train station there was destroyed. This made it very hard for people to cross the Hudson River. NY Waterway was able to help. The government invested in ferry services. NY Waterway received money and good deals to use public docks. The company quickly added new routes. They also made their ferries run more often. To do this, they borrowed a lot of money to buy more boats.

After the train service was fixed, fewer people used the ferries. This caused problems for the company. They almost went out of business. In December 2004, people worried that all ferry service might stop. This would affect 30,000 daily riders. The Port Authority and other government groups stepped in. A new company, Billybey Ferry Company, took over some of NY Waterway's boats and routes. This helped keep the ferry service going.

East River Ferry Service

Pier 11/Wall Street on the East River

In February 2011, NY Waterway was hired to run a ferry route on the East River. This route stopped in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as Manhattan. The service started in June 2011. It had seven stops and ran between East 34th Street and Pier 11. It also made stops in Queens and Brooklyn. A one-way ticket cost $4.

The city of New York helped pay for this service. It was first meant for people going to work. But after a few months, it became very popular with weekend users and tourists. Many more people rode the ferries than the city expected. From June to November 2011, about 2,862 people rode on an average weekday. On weekends, about 4,500 people rode. This was six times more than expected! In total, 350,000 people rode the ferry in that time. This was more than 250% of the first guess. This route later became part of NYC Ferry in May 2017.

In December 2016, NY Waterway announced it would buy back Billybey Ferry. This meant all the ferry services would be under one company again.

New Funding for Ferries

In 2023, the state of New Jersey received a large grant. It was $11.3 million from the Federal Transit Administration. This money was for ferries in the state. As part of this grant, NY Waterway received $7.298 million. This money will be used to change four ferries. They will be changed from diesel power to hybrid power. This means they will use a mix of fuel and electricity, which is better for the environment.

Amazing Rescue Operations

NY Waterway has helped in many rescue and emergency situations.

Helping During 9/11

After the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001, NY Waterway played a huge role. They helped evacuate people who were stuck because of the chaos. It's believed that NY Waterway transported over 150,000 people to safety. The Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial is located near the NY Waterway terminal.

The 2003 Blackout

The ferry service also helped people cross the river during the Northeast Blackout of 2003. During this time, trains could not run. They also provided transportation during the 2005 New York City transit strike.

US Airways Flight 1549

Coming to the aid of downed Flight 1549

In January 2009, NY Waterway was very important in rescuing passengers from US Airways Flight 1549. This plane made an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Both of its engines had failed. The company received a lot of attention for their rescue efforts. They also hired a 19-year-old captain named Brittany Catanzaro. Thanks to the quick actions of Captains Vincent Lombardi and Catanzaro, and their crews, everyone on board was saved.

Katherine G Tugboat Rescue

On April 6, 2012, a NY Waterway ferry rescued the crew of the Katherine G. This was a tugboat that flipped over near Liberty Island. The captain of that ferry, Mohamed Gouda, was also one of the captains who helped rescue people from Flight 1549.

Working with NJ Transit

In June 2012, New Jersey Transit (NJT) and NY Waterway started a special program. It was for riders who transferred between the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and ferries at Port Imperial. This program was called Surf and Turf. It helped people save money on tickets. In May 2013, NY Waterway also started afternoon bus service. This service followed some NJT bus routes. It helped ferry passengers get to places like Fort Lee.

In December 2014, NJT announced it would buy ten buses for NY Waterway to use. In January 2016, NY Waterway and NJT started the Hudson GoPass. This pass allowed unlimited travel on light rail, ferries, and certain bus routes. NJ Transit has also helped pay for boat maintenance and bus purchases.

Ferry Routes and Stops

Weekday peak hour routes

Weekend routes

West Midtown Ferry Terminal

Edgewater Landing

A Goldman Sachs-owned ferry at Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal

A ferry on the Liberty Harbor route crossing the Morris Canal

New Jersey to Manhattan Services

NY Waterway ferries connect New Jersey to Manhattan. These services start from five areas in New Jersey: Edgewater, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, and South Amboy.

Terminals				Year begun	Notes
Edgewater	Edgewater Ferry Landing	↔	Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2006	Runs only during busy weekday hours. Stops at Port Imperial during busy times.
Weehawken	Port Imperial		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	1986
	Port Imperial		Pier 11 / Wall Street Financial District	2000	Runs only during busy weekday hours. Stops at Hoboken 14th Street and Brookfield Place.
	Lincoln Harbor and 14th Street		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	1989 (Lincoln Harbor)
Hoboken	Lincoln Harbor and 14th Street		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2001 (14th Street)
	Hoboken Terminal		Brookfield Place Battery Park City	1989	Weekend service stops at Paulus Hook.
	Hoboken Terminal		Pier 11 / Wall Street Financial District	2001	Runs only during busy weekday hours.
	Hoboken Terminal and Paulus Hook		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2017 (Hoboken Terminal)
Jersey City	Hoboken Terminal and Paulus Hook		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2001 (Paulus Hook)
	Paulus Hook Exchange Place		Brookfield Place Battery Park City	1994	Weekend service stops at Hoboken Terminal. Weekday service uses special boats owned by Goldman Sachs.
	Liberty Harbor Marin Boulevard		Pier 11 / Wall Street Financial District	2001	Runs only during busy weekday hours. Stops at Paulus Hook.
	Port Liberté		Pier 11 / Wall Street Financial District	1996	Runs only during busy weekday hours. Service stopped in March 2020 and started again in July 2023.
South Amboy	South Amboy Terminal		Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2023	Runs only during busy weekday hours. A permanent ferry stop is being built and will open in 2025. Stops at Brookfield Place.

Within NYC Services

Terminals			Year begun	Notes
Red Hook/IKEA Erie Basin	↔	Midtown / West 39th Street Pier 79, Midtown	2021	Runs only on weekends. Used to be run by New York Water Taxi. Stops at Pier 11/Wall Street. Going north, you can only get off at Pier 11. Going south, you can get on and off at Pier 11.

Upstream Hudson Services

The Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry at the Haverstraw dock

Terminals			Year begun	Notes
Haverstraw	↔	Ossining Metro-North station	2000	Runs only during busy weekday hours.
Newburgh	↔	Beacon Metro-North station	2005	Runs only during busy weekday hours.

The Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry connects Haverstraw in Rockland County with Ossining in Westchester County. The Ossining stop is right next to the Ossining station. This station is served by Metro-North's Hudson Line trains.

The Newburgh–Beacon Ferry connects Newburgh in Orange County with Beacon in Dutchess County. The Beacon stop is also next to the Beacon station, which is on the Hudson Line. Both of these ferries are run by NY Waterway under a contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Manhattan Connecting Buses

NY Waterway also runs bus services in Manhattan. These buses help ferry passengers get to different places around the city.