New York City Department of Transportation
New York, NY · NTD ID 20082 · 2024 report year
New York City Department of Transportation carries 16.2 million passenger trips a year on ferryboat service — making it the 50th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in New York, NY.
It spends $190 million a year running that service, or $11.72 per trip. Its ferryboat service, the largest of its modes, costs $11.72 per rider — 40% below the $19.42 median for the 39 US agencies reporting ferryboat.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 37% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 10% on 2023.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferryboat#2 of 39 nationally | 16,214,706 | $190 million | $11.72 | -40% | — | 4 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 16,214,706 | $190 million | $11.72 |
| 2023 | 14,715,363 | $158 million | $10.76 |
| 2022 | 12,164,164 | $161 million | $13.24 |
| 2021 | 7,624,842 | $155 million | $20.37 |
| 2020 | 16,107,481 | $175 million | $10.88 |
| 2019 | 25,618,001 | $176 million | $6.86 |
| 2018 | 25,002,749 | $210 million | $8.40 |
| 2017 | 24,476,510 | $171 million | $6.98 |
| 2016 | 23,666,630 | $198 million | $8.36 |
| 2015 | 22,523,853 | $192 million | $8.51 |
Where New York City Department of Transportation ranks
- Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems #2 of 39
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These are the headline figures. Ask NTD answers the rest in plain English — by mode, by year, against any other agency.
Ask NTD about New York City Department of Transportation →Source & method. Figures are from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting for 2024, the most recent published report year. Cost per rider is operating expense divided by unlinked passenger trips. Farebox recovery is fare revenue divided by operating expense. Ten-year trends are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; single-year figures are as reported. Agencies self-report to the NTD, and reporting practice varies, so figures are best read as comparable in magnitude rather than to the cent.