By: Ameena Khan
It’s official! Starting next month on Dec. 8, 2025, Staten Island (SI) and Brooklyn will have a connecting route in the NYC Ferry system, connecting the island’s north shore, St. George, to Bay Ridge.
But what if I told you that there used to be a ferry service between the two boroughs, which was put out of service momentarily following the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1964?
To keep it short, it’s systemic racism and classism. And not only is Robert Moses to blame for all of this, but his influence has left massive ongoing impacts that affect everyday commuters such as myself, between SI and Brooklyn.
The idea of a ferry line between SI and Brooklyn isn’t anything new; in fact, this wouldn’t be the first time a proposal of a potential transportation connection between SI and the rest of New York City (NYC) has been made. Proposed plans for a subway line and pedestrian walkway during the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were initially rejected by the constructor and designer, Robert Moses, who vehemently opposed them and shut them down. Even today, in Bay Ridge, lies the abandoned and incomplete “Staten Island Tunnel,” otherwise officially known as the “Brooklyn-Richmond Freight and Passenger Tunnel,” constructed in 1823 and halted in 1925, intended to be used as a new crossing through the Narrows.
So, what gives? How come in the 21st century in NYC, we still haven’t successfully proposed alternate transportation routes between SI and Brooklyn that aren’t solely dependent on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge until now?
First of all, I want you to ask yourself: Why else would SI be extremely isolated from the rest of NYC? It’s not only due to its vast distance separated from the rest of the city, but including SI’s routes and transportation that were intentionally designed by Robert Moses to be car reliant, serving the borough as a suburban enclave of the white middle class, in other words, a “white flight” to the suburbs from the city shortly after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was constructed. Essentially, this would make it increasingly difficult for people of color and the lower class, as they weren’t able to afford a car, and all public transportation methods were suppressed.
While lack of funding and engineering made it difficult for the completion of an underground subway line, much longer before the planning and construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, it simply couldn’t have been a coincidence that the previously working ferry line between the two boroughs had suddenly gone out of service, just days after the bridge was completed.
As a Staten Islander who regularly commutes to Brooklyn, doesn’t have her driver’s license yet, and relies heavily on public transportation to get around NYC and her own borough, I have mixed feelings regarding the newly proposed ferry between SI and Brooklyn.
Currently, our only options to commute between the two boroughs are the MTA bus lines, such as the S79, S53, and S93. Other methods include going to St. George Ferry Terminal, by either bus or the Staten Island Railway (SIR), then taking the free Staten Island Ferry to Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan, and transferring to any subway line that would take you to Brooklyn. Your last option would be to just drive over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, that is, if you have a car and a license, with a discounted toll of $2.75 for SI residents with E-ZPass.
Meanwhile, the NYC Ferry posted a schedule, detailing the routes and scheduled times with large waiting intervals with specific times.
“The St. George route will be connected to Brooklyn and the rest of the system so Staten Island riders can transfer to any other route. This also connects Brooklyn to Manhattan’s west side,” according to the NYC Ferry website. Originally, the St. George route only consisted of Midtown West, Battery Park City, and St. George. Now with this new connection, additional stops have been added.
According to the Staten Island Advance, “While the NYC Ferry will now cross New York Harbor to Bay Ridge, the existing stops will remain. There will be two legs on the St. George route. One will be the familiar connection to western Manhattan, with stops at Battery Park City and Midtown West at Pier 79. The second leg will proceed from the Island’s North Shore to Bay Ridge, before continuing to the Atlantic Avenue stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The final stop on this leg of the route will be in Lower Manhattan, Wall Street at Pier 11.”
Not only will Bay Ridge be added to the connection, but so will Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and Wall Street in Manhattan as well be a part of the ferry service.
My thoughts?
If I had to predict, I would only see myself taking the St. George to Bay Ridge route only once in a blue moon, depending on my mood. Sorry, but why would I pay a four-dollar fare when I could stay on the five train instead of getting off at Atlantic Avenue, get off at Bowling Green, and head towards the Staten Island Ferry, which, did I mention, was free? And once I’d reached the St. George Terminal, I’d pay once more either for the SIR train, which, usually, is free with the exception of the St. George and Tompkinsville stop, and be on my way home, or take a bus. With the new ferry line, I would just be paying extra.
Yet, if anything, I predict my commute time would be even longer. In Bay Ridge, the waiting time for the ferry’s arrival would be equivalent to 2 to 3 S79s already arriving and leaving, dropping and picking up commuters. Both the new ferry and the bus take approximately 11 minutes to cross to Staten Island, yet the bus would take me farther to my destination, while the ferry would require a transfer.
From admiring the vermillion hues of the sunrise on the S79 when commuting to college, to admiring the ocean’s blue reflection of the sky on the Staten Island Ferry, all I wish is that for public transportation not only between SI and Brooklyn, but for Staten Island as a borough as well. Despite being in a privileged position where my father could drive me to college in Brooklyn on his way to work, even lending me the car to commute once I am able to drive, that is not the case for thousands of commuters who commute between the two boroughs every day, whether it be for work, school, family, or activities.
While exciting, the ferry route appears much more as a luxury than for the average commuter traveling between the two boroughs, who rely on public transportation. Regardless, I do expect to see a surplus of excited Staten Islanders waiting to experience the reimagined ferry line directly between another borough that isn’t Manhattan for once.