Transit & Streets Reviewed 2026-08-22
Why the Staten Island Ferry is free
It costs nothing because the law says it has to: since 1997 the Administrative Code has barred any fare for foot passengers on the city's ferry between Manhattan and Staten Island, which ended a 50-cent ride whose fares had covered $6 million of $25 million in operating costs. As of August 2026 the boats carry over 16 million passengers a year on a 5.2-mile, 25-minute crossing, around the clock.
The numbers that matter
- The fare
- Zero, by law: no rate of ferriage may be charged for foot passengers on the city-run ferry between Manhattan and Staten Island (NYC Administrative Code § 19-304, read August 2026)
- Since when
- 1997, when the City Council passed and the mayor signed a local law eliminating the 50-cent fare, which had covered $6 million of $25 million in operating costs (City Council staff report, November 2004)
- The ride
- 5.2 miles between St. George and Whitehall, about 25 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (NYC DOT Staten Island Ferry Facts, read August 2026)
- The riders
- Over 16 million passengers a year; roughly 45,000 on a typical weekday across 117 trips (NYC DOT Staten Island Ferry Facts, read August 2026)
- The minimum schedule
- Written into the Administrative Code: a boat at least every 30 minutes at all times, every 15 minutes in the rush-hour peaks (NYC Administrative Code § 19-305, read August 2026)
- What you can bring
- Bicycles and caged or muzzled pets, yes; cars, motorcycles, trucks, and electric mopeds, no (NYC311 Staten Island Ferry article, read August 2026)
The sentence that makes it free
Most free things in New York are free until someone decides otherwise. The ferry is different: its fare is set by a section of the city's Administrative Code, and the section sets it at nothing.
There shall be no rate of ferriage charged for foot passengers by any city owned and operated ferry operating between the borough of Manhattan and the borough of Staten Island.
Ferriage is the old word for a ferry fare, and the clause is absolute. Charging anyone, tourists included, would take a new local law; DOT cannot decide it alone.
The rate of ferriage to be charged for vehicles owned and operated by persons who are elderly or have a disability on any city owned and operated ferry operating between the borough of Manhattan and the borough of Staten Island shall be one-half of the rate applicable to vehicles operated by other persons.
A fossil. The code still prices vehicles, but the boats stopped carrying them after September 11, 2001, and NYC311 lists cars as not allowed.
What it cost before
The fare did not disappear on its own. A City Council staff report from 2004 records how it ended:
The Staten Island Ferry has been free for riders since 1997, when the City Council passed and Mayor Giuliani signed a law eliminating the 50-cent fare. … At the time, revenue from the fares constituted $6 million of the $25 million in operating costs.
Two quarters a ride, and the fares covered about a quarter of the operating budget. The other three-quarters was already the city's to pay.
Local Law 46 of 1997 amended section 19-304 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York to make the Staten Island Ferry free.
That is the footnote the whole page rests on: the free ride is Local Law 46, and section 19-304 is where it lives.
Since September 11, 2001 the S.I. Ferry has stopped transporting automobiles.
Also from the report's footnotes, and the reason the vehicle clause in the code is a dead letter.
The ferry itself is much older than the free fare:
The City has operated the Staten Island Ferry since 1905. The Ferry carries over 16 million passengers annually on a 5.2-mile run between the St. George Terminal in Staten Island and the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. The Ferry runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
On a typical weekday, five boats make 117 trips, carrying approximately 45,000 passengers. During rush hours, the ferry runs on a four-boat schedule, with 15 minutes between departures.
Five boats, 117 trips, 45,000 people, zero dollars. The DOT page that says it is the same one that lists the fleet.
The schedule is also the law
The Council did not stop at the fare. A separate section of the code sets a floor under how often the boats have to run, and the floor has been 30 minutes around the clock since 2015:
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.
Half-hourly at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday is section 19-305, written into the code. The rush-hour peaks in the same section require a boat every fifteen minutes.
Editor's note: this section has been amended by L.L. 2026/028, 1/17/2026, eff. 1/1/2027.
A 2026 local law has already amended the schedule section, effective at the start of 2027. The code publisher flags the change ahead of the text.
The Staten Island Ferry provides service every day, year-round. It is free to ride the ferry. Travel time in either direction between St. George and Whitehall is approximately 25 minutes.
Holidays: The ferry operates on the weekend schedule in observance of the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
What the free ride allows
Bicycles are allowed on the ferry. Riders must board on the lower level at both terminals and wait for the boat in the designated bicycle loading areas. All bicyclists must dismount their bicycles before boarding.
Cars, motorcycles, and trucks are not allowed on the ferry.
Electric mopeds (electric motorcycles) are not allowed on the ferry. Riders may transport e-bikes with pedals but are not allowed to charge any e-transportation devices.
Pedals are the test. An e-bike with them rides; a moped without them does not, and nothing charges on board.
Service animals and pets are allowed on the ferry. Pets must be caged, muzzled, or crated.
For who runs the ferry and why it is a city operation rather than an MTA one, read who runs the subway, the buses, and the LIRR; for the other crossings off Staten Island and what they cost, what the bridges and tunnels cost; and for the harbor views the ride is famous for, the skyline-by-water guide.
The questions New Yorkers actually ask
Is the Staten Island Ferry free?
Yes, for everyone. Section 19-304 of the New York City Administrative Code says there shall be no rate of ferriage charged for foot passengers on any city-owned ferry between Manhattan and Staten Island. NYC311 states it plainly: the ferry is free for all passengers.
When did the Staten Island Ferry become free?
In 1997. Local Law 46 of 1997 amended section 19-304 of the Administrative Code to eliminate the 50-cent fare. A 2004 City Council staff report records that fares had covered $6 million of the ferry's $25 million in operating costs at the time.
How long is the Staten Island Ferry ride?
About 25 minutes each way on a 5.2-mile run between the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan and the St. George Terminal on Staten Island, according to NYC DOT.
How often does the ferry run?
At least every 30 minutes at all times, a minimum written into section 19-305 of the Administrative Code, with boats every 15 or 20 minutes in the weekday rush-hour peaks. It runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and on the weekend schedule on major holidays.
Can I bring a bike on the Staten Island Ferry?
Yes. Cyclists board on the lower level at both terminals, wait in the designated bicycle loading areas, and must dismount before boarding. E-bikes with pedals are allowed; electric mopeds are not, and charging any device on board is prohibited.
Can I drive a car onto the Staten Island Ferry?
No. Cars, motorcycles, and trucks are not allowed on the ferry, per NYC311, even though the Administrative Code still contains a half-price vehicle rate for elderly and disabled drivers from the era when the boats carried cars.
Do I need a ticket?
No ticket, no fare, no tap. Passengers walk on at the Whitehall Terminal at 1 Whitehall Street in Manhattan or the St. George Terminal at 1 Bay Street on Staten Island.
The documents
The public records this page draws on. Read them yourself:
- New York City Administrative Code §§ 19-304 and 19-305 (ferry rates to Staten Island limited; Staten Island Ferry service)
- An Assessment of Staten Island Ferry Service and Recommendations for Improvement (City Council staff report, November 2004)
- Staten Island Ferry Facts (NYC DOT)
- Staten Island Ferry Schedule (NYC DOT)
- Staten Island Ferry (NYC DOT)
- Staten Island Ferry (NYC311 service article)
Now watch the machinery move.
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