§ 19-305 Staten Island Ferry service.
AC § 19-305
Editor's note: this section has been amended by L.L. 2026/028, 1/17/2026, eff. 1/1/2027. a. Any city owned and operated ferry operating between the Whitehall terminal in the borough of Manhattan and the St. George terminal in the borough of Staten Island shall operate, at a minimum, according to the following schedule: (i) On Monday through Friday, except on legal holidays, a ferry shall depart from the Whitehall terminal in the borough of Manhattan every twenty minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.; every fifteen minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.; every thirty minutes between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; every fifteen minutes between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; every thirty minutes between 8:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.; and every hour between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
(ii)On Monday through Friday, except on legal holidays, a ferry shall depart from the St. George terminal in the borough of Staten Island at 5:30 a.m.; every twenty minutes between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.; every fifteen minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.; every thirty minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; every fifteen minutes between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; every thirty minutes between 7:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.; and every hour between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
(iii)On Saturdays, except on legal holidays, service both to and from Manhattan's Whitehall terminal and Staten Island's St. George terminal shall be every thirty minutes except between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., in which case service shall be every hour.
(iv)On Sundays, except on legal holidays, service both to and from Manhattan's Whitehall terminal and Staten Island's St. George terminal shall be every thirty minutes except between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., in which case service shall be every hour.
(v)On legal holidays, service both to and from Manhattan's Whitehall terminal and Staten Island's St. George terminal shall include ferry departures every thirty minutes between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
(vi)On or before May 1, 2015, service both to and from Manhattan's Whitehall terminal and Staten Island's St. George terminal shall be every thirty minutes at all times except when more frequent service is required by this subdivision.
(vii)If the department in consultation with the office of the mayor determines that it is not economically feasible to fully expand service pursuant to paragraph (vi) of this subdivision, the department in consultation with the office of the mayor shall provide a report to the mayor, speaker of the council, and the borough presidents of Manhattan and Staten Island describing the reasons why fully expanding such service is not economically feasible by April 1, 2015, which shall include but not be limited to the following factors: an analysis of ridership numbers, including a breakdown by time of trip, day and month of the year; a review of any recent or anticipated economic development or other economic or population changes that have affected or could affect ridership numbers; and plans for future expansion in service and a timeline for such expansion. Every two years thereafter by April 1 the department in consultation with the office of the mayor shall review such determination and provide a report to the mayor, speaker of the council, and the borough presidents of Manhattan and Staten Island, including but not limited to the foregoing factors as well as a description of any expansion of service since the enactment of the local law that added this paragraph. b. The schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section shall not apply to service disruptions resulting from security concerns, mechanical malfunctions of a ferry, unsafe weather conditions, emergencies or other similar events beyond the control of the department that would prevent compliance with such schedule. In the event of any such disruption in the schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section that lasts longer than twenty-four hours, the commissioner or a designee shall submit a written report to the mayor and speaker of the council which shall include the specific reasons for the disruption and the time at which service was restored. If service has not been restored by the time the report must be submitted, the report shall also include the estimated duration of the disruption in service and what, if any, attempts are being made to mitigate the loss of scheduled service. In the event a disruption in the schedule of service lasts longer than seven days, on the eighth day and every seven days thereafter, the commissioner or a designee shall submit a written report to the mayor and speaker of the council that shall include an update on the status of resuming service. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 2005/055 and L.L. 2013/088.
