50 Millionth Rider Honored with Free Rides for a Year, Full Vessel Celebrates with Swag and Free Tickets
NYC Ferry Reaches New Milestone as Subsidy-Per-Rider Continues to Decrease, Years of Record Ridership, and Historic Revenue Growth
NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Ferry today announced the 50 millionth rider in the history of the system. NYC Ferry crew and staff joined passengers onboard to celebrate the achievement during the morning commute on NYC Ferry’s Rockaway-Soundview route. The 50 millionth rider was identified as Felice Torres of the Bronx, a Rockaway-Soundview route rider. Riders received NYC Ferry commemorative tote bags and prints along with ten free NYC Ferry tickets; Torres, as the system’s 50 millionth rider, received a one-year system-wide pass to NYC Ferry. This milestone builds on the recent success of NYC Ferry, which since the pandemic has seen improved accessibility, affordability, and fiscal sustainability. Over the past three years, NYC Ferry has boasted record ridership and all-time highs in farebox revenue. NYCEDC recently posted the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Transparency Report, which touts the lowest NYC Ferry per-rider-subsidy ever at $8.33, a more than 35 percent reduction in subsidy from its peak in 2020. NYC Ferry operates with the lowest subsidy-per-rider of any publicly funded, passenger-only ferry system in the United States.
Passengers aboard NYC Ferry vessel celebrate the system’s 50 millionth rider. Credit: Hornblower Group
NYC Ferry, operated by Hornblower Group, originally launched in 2017 as the expansion of a small pilot service operating as the East River Ferry. With a fleet of purpose-built vessels and a series of new landings constructed throughout the city, NYC Ferry quickly exceeded its initial ridership projections. As ridership swelled, the system grew with an expanded fleet that doubled seat capacity and new landings that expanded service to all five boroughs, making it a truly city-wide ferry system. Over time, the system introduced fare products that vastly expanded access to its discount program, maintained pricing for regular riders and offered additional pricing for one-time riders and premium options for beach trips. Finally, a major route reconfiguration last yearincreased system capacity, reduced trip time, and better-connected riders to key work destinations.
“NYC Ferry is thrilled to celebrate our 50 millionth rider, a tremendous indicator of just how much this system has grown in just the last eight years,” said NYC Ferry Executive Director James Wong. “Today’s milestone builds on the major success of 2025—new ridership records, major route changes, and expansion announcements—and kicks-off 2026 on a high note, which we’ll work hard to continue throughout the year, as we continue to make NYC Ferry as accessible, affordable, and sustainable as possible.”
“As Hornblower embarks on its 100th anniversary, we’re honored to celebrate reaching 50 million passengers carried onboard NYC Ferry,” said Timothy O’Brien, Senior Vice President of Ferries and Transportation, Hornblower Group. “This achievement, like so many others at NYC Ferry, would not be possible without the incredible efforts of our crew. This outstanding team of 400+ New Yorkers—where nearly 90% reside in NYC, more than three-quarters identify as people of color, and nearly two-thirds of captains began as deckhands - reflects the diversity and vibrancy of New York City as well as the opportunity of our waterfronts. We look forward to welcoming the next 50 million people onboard in the years ahead.”
Spanning 70 nautical miles, the NYC Ferry system operates 38 vessels across six routes and 25 landings—the largest passenger-only ferry fleet in the United States. NYC Ferry is not only a major transit option for New Yorkers’ daily commutes—providing a vital link between job centers, schools, parks, and cultural destinations in all five boroughs—it is a trusted and iconic fixture of the city’s waterfront and is seen daily by millions of New Yorkers and tourists on the water and from New York’s shoreline, buildings, bridges, and more.
In FY2025, NYC Ferry once again reached record annual ridership with 7.4 million passengers. Ridership during this period increased during both morning and afternoon peak periods on weekdays as the system continues its growth as a vital transportation resource for commuters from across the city.
In December 2025, NYC Ferry announced the first-ever route reconfiguration in the history of the system with the NYC Ferry Optimization Plan—improving efficiency, shortening commute times, and providing riders more places to go. NYCEDC anticipates that, because of these recent changes, ridership will increase by 14 percent, and the per-rider-subsidy will fall another $1.00 by 2028.
Further, NYCEDC announced the development of the Vision for the Future of Ferries in the New York Harbor—a document that will explore and evaluate the viability of different types of ferry service, including public and private service, for waterfront neighborhoods and regions of New York City.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
