NYC Ferry soldiers on despite continued losses in
ridership
BY MARK HALLUM
The gangways of NYC Ferry craft
and many of the terminals have a
desolate feel to them after almost
a month and a half of ridership loss have
forced service reductions and other cost
saving measures on the service.
While an unexplained spike in use during
the fi rst week of May was an outlier
to the new normal of 90% fewer rides,
the Economic Development Corporation
said Tuesday it remains confi dent essential
workers are still utilizing NYC Ferry as a
transportation option — despite a lack of
real data to confi rm it.
The last week of April in 2019 saw
97,256 riders; a year later, only 19,851
used Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2017 answer to
subway transit woes, operated by the EDC
and Hornblower.
“NYC Ferry has been operating on a
modifi ed schedule for several weeks as we
continue to serve our essential and frontline
employees during this challenging time,”
EDC spokesman Chris Stapleton said. “By
running these modifi ed schedules, NYC
Ferry reduced service by 30% and is seeing
signifi cant savings. We’re continuing to
look at ways to improve cost-savings and
are in active discussions to further reduce
costs in anticipation of next year’s budget.”
Along with the 30% reduction in service,
NYC Ferry enacted a plan to run only
the smallest and most fuel-effi cient craft
on the seven routes along the waterways
of the city.
The MTA, at nearly the beginning of the
pandemic in March, saw ridership plummet
over 92%, where it has steadily remained.
But the ferries are in slightly better shape
statistically — though the busiest route,
East River, has seen a drop from the heights
of 46,241 last year to 7,480.
Warm weather has not been enough to
keep the Rockaway route afl oat either.
Last year it saw 8,878 riders compared
to the most recent 2,502. The Astoria route
saw 15,705 compared to 3,404 now.
The question of funding shortfalls in
the upcoming city budget still lingering for
the service, long criticized as too heavily
subsidized by the de Blasio administration,
which pays up to $9.34 per ride.
Some, however, are confi dent that the
ferries will be the best transit option in the
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
future for social distancing.
Queens Chamber of Commerce President
Tom Grech, in a recent op-ed, claimed
this would be the case as the COVID-19
pandemic subsides and new normal takes
hold for New Yorkers hoping to keep the
virus at bay.
But the question still stands as to how
this option can be made available for all
New Yorkers, especially those in landlocked
communities without easy access
to the waterfront.
Carranza warns of ‘horrific’ school budget cuts
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
New York City Schools Chancellor
Richard Carranza said on May 12
that the Department of Education’s
projected 2020-21 budget is “horrifi c” due
to the economic standstill caused by the
novel coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not just New York City, it’s not just
New York state, it’s not just the United
States it’s this is a global economic pandemic
as well,” said Carranza during a City
Council Education Committee hearing held
via Zoom.
The New York City Offi ce of Management
and Budget has projected a $7.4 billion
loss in tax revenue due to the pandemic
across previous expectations for fi scal year
2020-21. The DOE’s fi scal 2020-21 budget
of $34.2 billion includes $27.5 billion in
operating funds and another $6.7 billion
in education related pensions and debt
service funds.
The DOE executive budget includes
$111 million in reductions in savings from
the current fi scal year’s operations, and
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza speaks at a news conference at the Office
of Emergency Management about the Coronavirus, March 2, 2020.
another $471 million in reductions and
savings for fi scal year 2020-21.
Carranza said that the city expects the
state to announce more education budget
cuts as early as this week.
“This economic reality requires the city
to make hard decisions including painful
education cuts,” said the chancellor. “These
PHOTO: BEN FRACTENBERG/THE CITY
cuts are of a shocking magnitude.”
Some of what has been cut already,
Carranza added includes College Access
for All and Civics for All. Other centrally
administered areas that have received cuts
for fi scal year 2020-21 include professional
development spending, hiring freezes, delaying
the expansion of the pre-k programs.
Carranza added that the cuts could not
be solely taken out of administrative budgets
and that budget cuts to schools now
include a $100 million reduction to the fair
student funding formula and $40 million
reduction in “other funding streams.”
“We are working internally and with our
city partners to come up with an equitable
methodology that minimizes the impact to
our most vulnerable communities, but as
a former teacher and principal, very few
things break my heart more than having to
go through the exercises of trying to save
resources for our schools,” said Carranza.
The chancellor added that the agency
is having frank discussion with principals
across the city about cutting costs and
potentially instituting a hiring freeze for
the 2020-21 school year.
But the freeze would be lifted if and when
the city receives federal aid, according to
DOE Chief Operating offi cer Lindsey Oates.
“Under these circumstances, and without
additional direct support from the federal
government we simply cannot afford
to maintain school budgets and programs
at fi scal year 2020 levels,” added Carranza.
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