22
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APRIL 1-7, 2022 BXR
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
Soon, more passengers will be able
to ride the shuttle to Throggs Neck’s
NYC Ferry landing, which turns a
10-minute walk into a 1-minute ride.
The new Ferry Point Park stop was
unveiled in December, extending the
Soundview route northward — which
stops along the east side of Manhattan
spanning down to Wall Street’s Pier
11. The fare costs $2.75, the same as
the subway, and the operation is heavily
subsidized by the city.
The Throggs Neck ferry landing is
the second location in the Bronx, after
Soundview.
While the new stop was championed
by former Mayor Bill de Blasio
as a game changer for commuters,
some were unpleasantly surprised to
find out that the ferry landing is about
a half-mile away from the stop’s parking
lot. But waterside weekday commuters
have enjoyed a free shuttle
carrying passengers from inside the
park entrance to the ferry landing,
from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
As the commuters packed the shuttle
from the landing to the park entrance
on Friday evening, they all
started talking at once when asked
why they take the ferry.
“Because it’s awesome!” one passenger
declared.
Akeyla Dominguez, who sat in
front beside shuttle driver Rosemary
Griffith, said using the ferry adds
an extra 30 minutes each way to her
route compared to the subway.
“It’s worth it,” she added. “I don’t
mind. It’s completely worth it.”
Dominguez likes that there’s no
traffic, it feels safer than the train
and it’s easy to social distance on the
boat. Ultimately, it makes commuting
peaceful, she said.
More ferry users will be able to try
the shuttle, but it’s unclear when exactly,
and for how long.
“Our & (Councilmember) Marjorie
Velázquez’s offices have been receiving
questions about extending
shuttle bus operations to & from the
ferry dock at Ferry Point Park,” Community
Board 10 shared on Facebook.
“We have some news… NYCEDC (New
York City Economic Development
Corporation) tells us that the shuttle
will begin operating at ALL hours of
ferry operations starting in April!
Thank you for the info NYCEDC.”
Commuter Akeyla Dominguez goes to sit in the passenger seat next to shuttle driver Rosemary
Griffith on Friday evening. Photo | Aliya Schneider
But the Bronx Times has learned
from the city Economic Development
Corporation (EDC) that there isn’t actually
a start date yet for the expanded
operations, other than “sometime in
April,” and the expanded hours aren’t
permanent, but rather a trial run.
“As it generally takes some time for
ridership to build after the opening of
a new landing, NYC Ferry will evaluate
ridership performance throughout
the spring and summer to determine
the appropriate service span for
the shuttle,” an EDC spokesperson
told the Bronx Times.
The shuttle currently being used is
not wheelchair-accessible but will be
replaced by a new wheelchair-accessible
vehicle that will hold fewer passengers.
A ferry spokesperson and an EDC
spokesperson both told the Bronx
Times the current shuttle seats 15
passengers and the new one will seat
about 11, but the Bronx Times found
that the shuttle was crammed Friday
evening with a maximum of 13 passengers.
On Friday evening, Griffith honked
at unsuspecting pedestrians when
they were in the way of the vehicle,
unintentionally startling some parkgoers.
The vehicle operates on a walking
path and Griffith said it’s going to
get busy once summer rolls along and
more people exercise along the route.
While Griffith takes multiple trips
as needed, she usually makes her last
trip to the ferry about 8 minutes before
the boat’s arrival — something
for last-minute planners to keep in
mind.
The shuttle itself was busy on Friday,
with two to three people squeezed
into each of the four rows and another
person beside Griffith in the passenger
seat. Those who can’t fit either decide
to get their steps in or wait for
Griffith to swing back to get them on
a second trip.
Most of the passengers are regulars
who use the ferry to commute to
and from work and school, according
to Griffith. While she doesn’t know
them by name, she knows them by
their cars. They call her Rose, and
even let her know when they’re going
away on vacation.
Griffith said she sees some people
ride bicycles and scooters to the ferry,
but most people drive, utilizing the
free parking lot, or get dropped off
and picked up by a car.
Non-commuters take the ferry on
Friday evening for a night out in Manhattan,
Griffith said. She knows if
riders are “newbies” when they don’t
know how to open the shuttle doors.
“I think a lot of people are taking
this now because they don’t want to
take the trains, which I don’t blame
them,” Griffith said. “Now you don’t
know what you’re going to get with
these trains.”
She thinks people take the ferry for
a “peaceful and safe ride,” which she
boasted begins on the shuttle.
Griffith, who loves her job, said the
waterfront view is nice, but the people
are nicer.
“I call this my spiritual bus,” she
said.
Shuttle to expand Throggs Neck
ferry access ‘sometime in April’
Awards Event
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
6:00PM – 9:30 PM
The Surf Club On The Sound
280 Davenport Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10805
Honoring:
Robert Davis
Eifert, French & Ketchum
Sandra Erickson
Sandra Erickson Real Estate, Inc.
Field Hall Foundation
Clarence Stanley
Small Business Development
Center at Lehman College
Linda Tyler
Business Council of Westchester
Emcee:
Gary Axelbank
BronxTalk & Bronx Buzz, Bronxnet
To RSVP, Scan the QR Code or
Visit www.visionsvcb.org/events
For more information, please call
212-625-1616, ext. 135
/events
/events