Ferry Shuttle Bus Adds 2 New Stops In Rockaway

ROCKAWAY, QUEENS – The NYC Ferry is expanding the shuttle bus service to its Rockaway port, adding two more stops to the Queens route.

Shuttles to NYC Ferry's Rockaway port at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive will begin making stops at 77th and 96th streets along Rockaway Beach Boulevard starting Saturday, ferry operators said.

Hornblower, operator of NYC Ferry, and the city's Economic Development Corporation announced the additional stops on Friday in response to feedback from the neighborhood's town hall with Mayor Bill de Blasio in December.

"The community spoke and we listened," said James Patchett, the city's EDC president.

Patchett said the expanded route - which also moves its Beach 67th stop from Beach Channel Drive to Rockaway Beach Boulevard - is meant to allow more Rockaway residents access to jobs throughout the city by way of the ferry.

"NYC Ferry is proud to connect our communities and we are excited that more shuttle stops are being added, allowing for even more options for Rockaway Residents to hop on board," said Cameron Clark, senior vice president of NYC Ferry.

Since its official launch last May, NYC Ferry has become a popular means of transportation for Queens and Brooklyn residents. The ferry system's four routes - East River, Rockaway, Astoria and South Brooklyn - served nearly 3 million riders by the year's end, surpassing service projections by nearly 800,000 riders, the EDC said.

NYC Ferry will add six new boats - with bigger engines and room for 349 passengers - in 2018 in response to the popularity, according to EDC. Two more routes to Manhattan's Lower East Side and Soundview in the Bronx are also slated to launch this summer.

Visit the NYC Ferry website for more information about the new Rockaway shuttle bus route.

Lead photo by Mark Lennihan/Associated Press.