What NYC Ferry does

NYC Ferry is a municipally-concessioned public ferry service that began operations in 2017 and is operated by City Experiences under the Hornblower Group umbrella. It runs six active routes across 25 landings connecting all five New York City boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island — via the East River and Hudson River, serving over 7 million riders annually. The route portfolio includes East River, South Brooklyn, Astoria, Rockaway-Soundview, St. George, Governors Island Shuttle, Rockaway-Rocket, and the Coney Island route, with seasonal service to beach destinations.

The core product is daily commuter and leisure ferry transit, augmented by a digital stack comprising the NYC Ferry mobile app on iOS and Android (Scan & Go paperless boarding, real-time notifications, ticket management), a live ferry status map, and automated location-tracking technology used to calculate on-time performance. Ticketing is delivered through the mobile app, ticket vending machines at all landings, ticket agents, and a website redemption flow. Ticket products include the Adult One-Way Pass ($4.00), 10-Trip Pass ($27.50), Unlimited 2-Day Ticket ($15), Discounted Fares ($1.35 for seniors, people with disabilities, and Fair Fares participants), Student Discount Program fares, and Rockaway Reserve Tickets for advance booking. The service is ADA-accessible and Title VI compliant.

Revenue is generated across four streams: passenger fares (transaction-based), onboard advertising (digital displays, branded vessels, app/web, social media, product sampling reaching 7M+ riders), filming and photography production fees, and corporate sponsorships. Marketing is conducted via organic social, content/blog, mobile app push, and email service alerts. The business is privately held under Hornblower Group/City Experiences, with 251–500 employees and an operations office in Brooklyn. It is the only direct waterborne transit system linking all five NYC boroughs via a municipally authorized network.

Name

NYC Ferry

Legal name

NYC Ferry

Website

https://ferry.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NYC Ferry operates New York City's public ferry transit system across six routes and 25 landings connecting all five boroughs, serving 7+ million annual commuter and leisure riders via mobile ticketing, on-vessel advertising, and sponsored filming partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Ferry Transportation

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Water Transportation (483)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Commuter Ferries (Scheduled Public Service) (THAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Harbor & Water Taxi Passenger Services (THAEAGAF), Tourist & Scenic Passenger Ferries (Non-Cruise) (THAIAJAH)

Keywords

• Urban ferry service
• Passenger water transit
• Commuter ferry routes
• City waterway transport
• Public ferry network

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Passenger Fares: Primary revenue from ticket sales including Adult One-Way passes ($4.00), 10-Trip passes ($27.50), and discounted fares for seniors, people with disabilities, and Fair Fares program participants ($1.35). Children under 44 inches ride free.
2. Onboard Advertising: Onboard advertising program generating revenue through digital displays, branded vessels, social media, app & web advertising, brand activations, and product sampling & placement. Serves over 7 million annual riders.
3. Filming & Photography: Revenue from film and photography production companies seeking unique NYC skyline and waterfront views. Filming fees determined by length of shoot and production size.
4. Sponsorships: Partnership and sponsorship opportunities for brands seeking to connect with NYC Ferry's diverse ridership base across all five boroughs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NYC Ferry operates a public passenger ferry service across six routes connecting New York City's five boroughs. The company sells individual and multi-ride tickets through its mobile app and website, and monetizes onboard assets via advertising and filming packages offered to brands and production companies.

Product overview

NYC Ferry is a public ferry transportation service offering daily ferry service across all five New York City boroughs. The core product is the ferry service itself, operating multiple routes (East River, South Brooklyn, Astoria, Rockaway-Soundview, St. George, Governors Island Shuttle, Rockaway-Rocket, and the planned Coney Island route) connecting waterfront communities. Ticketing products include Adult One-Way Passes ($4.00), 10-Trip Passes ($27.50), and the Unlimited 2-Day Ticket ($15). The NYC Ferry Mobile App serves as the primary digital channel for paperless ticketing. Additional services include Student Discount and Ferry Discount Programs for eligible riders, Rockaway Reserve Tickets for advance booking, and commercial offerings such as Onboard Advertising and Filming Packages for business partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYC Ferry Passenger Service Six-route passenger ferry network operated under contract with the City of New York by City Experiences (Hornblower Group), connecting Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island waterfronts via East River, Hudson River, Soundview, South Brooklyn, Astoria, and Rockaway / St. George corridors. Aimed at daily commuters and recreational riders.
• NYC Ferry Mobile App Official mobile app for iOS and Android enabling riders to buy fares, view route maps and timetables, plan trips, and receive service alerts.
• Adult One-Way and Round-Trip Tickets Standard single-ride fare and round-trip ticket purchased through the app, website, or onboard, providing access to any NYC Ferry route within the network.
• 10-Trip Pass Discounted multi-ride pass valid for ten individual trips across the NYC Ferry network, marketed to frequent commuters.
• Unlimited 2-Day Ticket Unlimited-ride ticket valid for two consecutive days across all NYC Ferry routes, targeted at tourists and weekend recreational riders.
• Student Discount Program Reduced-fare program offering NYC students a 50% discount on standard NYC Ferry tickets, sold via the app with verification of student status.
• Ferry Discount Program (Seniors / People with Disabilities / Low-Income) Reduced-fare program offering half-price NYC Ferry tickets to seniors, people with disabilities, and City of New York residents enrolled in qualifying low-income programs, purchased via the app with verification.
• Rockaway Reserve Tickets Reservation-only ferry ticket for the seasonal Rockaway route, requiring advance booking to manage capacity on summer weekend service.
• NYC Ferry Onboard Advertising Program Advertising inventory across NYC Ferry vessels, landings, and digital channels, sold to brands and agencies for direct reach of NYC Ferry riders.
• Onboard Filming Package Permitted filming package allowing production companies, photographers, and event organizers to use NYC Ferry vessels, landings, and routes as production locations for commercials, films, and events.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hornblower GroupcoreOthersNYC Ferry is operated by Hornblower Group (also known as City Experiences), part of the Hornblower Group Family of Companies which includes Alcatraz City Cruises, American Queen Voyages, City Cruises, Statue City Cruises, and other water-based transportation services.
• VogueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor media publication that has filmed aboard NYC Ferry vessels for editorial content and fashion shoots featuring NYC skyline and waterfront views.
• NBCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelevision network that has utilized NYC Ferry for production filming, leveraging the unique vantage points of NYC's waterfront.
• MagnoliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia/production company that has partnered with NYC Ferry for film and photography production.
• Various Filming PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNYC Ferry has hosted productions from multiple media partners including Oscar, NBTV, Iconix, Access, Unconditional, and MS, showcasing the service's appeal to film and media productions.
• Sponsor PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors advertised with NYC Ferry as part of their advertising program targeting millions of annual riders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SeaStreak: Passenger ferry service operating between NJ/NY and the NYC financial district, including high-speed catamaran service. Comparable commuter passenger ferry model in the NYC harbor with similar vessel technology.
• NY Waterway: Private commuter ferry operator in the NYC metro area running routes along the Hudson River and East River. Closely comparable in service model, target market (NYC commuters), and route geography.
• New York Water Taxi: Passenger water taxi service operating in NYC harbor connecting Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Directly comparable urban passenger ferry serving the same NYC waterfront communities.
• Staten Island Ferry: Free passenger ferry service operated by the NYC Department of Transportation connecting Staten Island to Manhattan. Directly comparable urban commuter ferry serving the same NYC market with similar passenger-only operations.

Emerging players

• Watermark: Ferry and water taxi operator in NYC and Annapolis. Comparable ferry operations in the NYC market with focus on commuter and tourism routes, overlapping with NYC Ferry's geographic territory.

Regional players

• King County Water Taxi: Passenger-only ferry service in Seattle operated by King County Metro. Comparable urban commuter ferry model serving waterfront neighborhoods with similar fare structure and multi-route operations.
• MBTA Ferry: Seasonal commuter ferry service operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston Harbor. Comparable urban passenger ferry with similar commuter-focused service model in a different US metropolitan market.
• San Francisco Bay Ferry: Public commuter ferry service operated by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority serving San Francisco Bay routes. Comparable urban commuter ferry model with similar multi-route operations and public transit integration.

Broad incumbents

• Hornblower Cruises: Parent brand of NYC Ferry's operator (City Experiences/Hornblower Group). Operates cruises, ferries, and water-based experiences across multiple US cities. Same parent organization but focused on tourism rather than commuter transit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nycferry
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nyc_ferry
• Facebookfacebook.com/NYCferry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyc-ferry
• Instagraminstagram.com/nycferry
• TikToktiktok.com/@nyc_ferry

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NYC Ferry