NY Waterway

NY Waterway is the largest privately-owned commuter ferry operator in the United States, carrying tens of thousands of riders a day across the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan. It was founded in 1986 by trucking magnate Arthur E. Imperatore, who revived a Hudson crossing that had all but vanished after the bridges and rail tunnels opened — a venture first mocked as "Arthur's Folly" when early boats carried as few as five passengers.

Across the Hudson, and up the valley

From terminals at Port Imperial and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken, Edgewater, Hoboken, Paulus Hook and Belford, the boats run to Midtown's West 39th Street, Brookfield Place in Battery Park City and Pier 11 on Wall Street, with a free connecting bus network fanning across Manhattan. Hudson Valley shuttles link Haverstraw–Ossining and Newburgh–Beacon to Metro-North trains. The flagship Port Imperial–Midtown run sails seven days a week at roughly 20-minute intervals; a fleet of around thirty catamarans and conventional ferries keeps it moving.

A ferry with a rescue record

NY Waterway is woven into New York's emergency history: its boats helped evacuate an estimated 150,000+ people from Lower Manhattan on 11 September 2001, and were the first vessels to reach US Airways Flight 1549 during the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson," pulling survivors from the wings. Adult one-way fares run from about US$9.75, with 10-trip and monthly passes; a small fuel surcharge applies.