Proposed watertown ferry

[JeffDowntown]

If a private company wants to do something with their own money that takes 10 cars off the road in favor of sustainable transportation I'm 1000% in favor.

Assuming they are paying fair freight for use of the public docking facilities for commercial purposes (and not looking for a hand out because of taking 10 cars off of the road, or more likely 10 passengers out of the 504 express bus).

Also, need some assurance that they are going to actually play nice by maritime right-of-way rules in the Charles. Even though they are on a schedule, they have to yield to all the sail craft, crew shells and kayaks in the water.

 

[Urban_Hermit]

Also, stopping at CRI and Herter Park just doesn't make sense at all. Like, who are those serving?

I would use this ferry if stopped at Herter Park. Depending on the timing, price, and where it connects to it would be nice to add this to the options for getting around without a car.

 

[HenryAlan]

40 seats is so few, if this ever got momentum i feel like you'd have to watch some boats come and go before you even go on.

It is stupid that Boston doesn't have more ferry/water-focused options. I've used the ferry in NYC a couple times to get around and it was surprisingly fast and well organized. You can even grab a beer from the cafe, but the issue is that you get to wherever you need to go before you can finish your beer!

A river ferry on the Charles is problematic for reasons discussed upthread. There is some potential for a Mystic River service, though. Setting that side, it's not like there aren't several ferries operated on the inner and outer harbor. It's definitely not as significant a thing as it is in NYC, but its' definitely a reasonable option for certain trips. I used the East Boston ferry quite a bit, because it's the easiest way to get across the harbor with a bike.

 

[Stlin]

A river ferry on the Charles is problematic for reasons discussed upthread. There is some potential for a Mystic River service, though. Setting that side, it's not like there aren't several ferries operated on the inner and outer harbor. It's definitely not as significant a thing as it is in NYC, but its' definitely a reasonable option for certain trips. I used the East Boston ferry quite a bit, because it's the easiest way to get across the harbor with a bike.

I agree that there is potential for more routes on the harborside. Given that the privately operated water taxi survives, there's clearly demand for more service than the T boats operate. Plus, the city cruises operated "water bus" from Logan to Long Wharf. Just on this point, I maintain that the T ferry should operate Logan as a regular stop on the East Boston Route, not the $9.75 Hingham/Hull route.

 

[Koopzilla24]

Isn't boat transportation the most expensive to operate per passenger except for some bus service due to the much higher maintenance and labor costs? If that's the case a private company would have to charge an amount unappealing to anyone seeking regular use in order to turn a profit. The $4.25 for the express buses is already too expensive for service provided in my opinion but this ferry would have to cost at least $10/person/trip.

 

[The EGE]

Yes, ferry does tend to have relatively high fixed costs. With decent ridership and relatively fast trips that's not as big of an issue; the MBTA ferry system actually tends to have some of the highest farebox recovery of the various modes. But for a slow, small boat that can make at most 2 trips per rush hour? I think their financials will be somewhere between "ouch" and "yikes".