04.

Ferry Service Assessments

Cheng Solutions has completed numerous repeat ferry assignments for the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Port Authority of NY and NJ (PANYNJ), and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), as well as private-sector clients such as Hornblower, one of the world’s largest ferry and cruise companies. Our ferry work includes examining the feasibility of new routes as well as expansion of ridership on existing routes.

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Since 2018, we have also been trusted with repeat assignments to develop ridership analysis for Hornblower as part of their development of new ferry services. We evaluated potential new routes in New Jersey and Long Island as well as the expansion of the NYC citywide ferry system. This work entails assessing competing modes of transportation and travel times for both commutation and leisure travelers, as well as access to ferry locations.

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In 2013, we examined the feasibility of a new ferry service from LaGuardia Airport to points in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Ridership was evaluated based on total travel times to two different terminal locations at LGA to various locations along the Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan waterfront. The final O/D pairs presented in the report represented the most promising locations representing the largest catchment areas. In addition to this task, we conducted interviews of all ferry operators in the NY harbor to gather feedback on opportunities and challenges with an expansion of ferry service.