Glen Cove Ferry

The City of Glen Cove LIRR Summer Ferry was a "resounding success" based upon the criteria in which the City met and/or exceeded its goals:

• The City's readiness to respond to the Governor's calling for assistance during the LIRR summer track repairs was seamless and on point in all City departments.  The ease with which the City pooled its resources to meet this short-notice deadline was conducted in an expedient and professional manner.
• Concerns over increased traffic and harbor congestion/safety proved to be a non-event.
• The City was poised to experience a dry run of a permanent ferry service, first hand and at no expense, which was valuable information from a marketing and logistics standpoint.  Knowledge gained will be useful in the Request for Proposal soon to be released.
• The rating of service by those who took the ferry was #1 with #1 being the highest.
• The operators who were commissioned by the MTA/LIRR have expressed an interest in being part of a permanent ferry service and the positive press from the summer ferry service has further resulted in other ferry operators expressing interest in the future service.
• The satisfaction rating from the commuters surveyed was quite positive:  61% of those surveyed indicated they are interested in taking the ferry on a permanent basis and that number will rise with a better operating schedule/frequency of operation.

August 29, 2017:

Glen Cove Commuters declare LIRR/MTA Summer Ferry a tremendous success and are sorry that the LIRR Ferry will cease operation September 1^st.

Ferry operators have already expressed an interest in the upcoming RFP for permanent commuter ferry service that will be released fall 2017. The City of Glen Cove will include key requirements in the RFP such as:

Three ferry departures to Manhattan in the morning – with two stops, one midtown and one Wall Street.

Three ferry return trips from Manhattan in the evening.  

Respondent has opportunity to include proposal for leisure off-peak schedule and recreational services.