NYC Ferry has the largest passenger fleet in the United States with a total of 38 vessels, providing between 20 and 90 minute service on each of the routes, depending on the season.

There has been commentary over the highly subsidized nature of the service, and NYC Ferry's low ridership compared to the city's other public transit modes.

A ferry across the East River, between New Amsterdam and modern-day Brooklyn, was created in 1642 by Cornelius Dircksen,[5] who was reportedly "the earliest ferryman of whom the records speak.

In 1986, waterfront settlements like Bayonne, Highlands, Keyport, Port Liberte, and Weehawken saw a reinstatement of their ferry service to Manhattan, under the operation of NY Waterway.

[8] By 1989, around 3,000 of the settlements' combined 10,500 residents paid a $5.00 fare in each direction to board the NY Waterway ferries, despite competition from cheaper alternatives like the PATH train system.

[18] The ferry proved to be popular and its license was extended several times, as city officials evaluated the ridership numbers to determine whether to establish the service on a permanent basis.

[20]: 31–69  When the city government announced its budget in late June 2014 for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, the Rockaway ferry only received a $2 million further appropriation, enough to temporarily extend it again through October.

[27] In 2013, city councilman James Oddo advocated for a revival of fast ferry service to Staten Island as part of his campaign to become that borough's president.

[35] In April 2017, Oddo announced a tentative agreement with NY Waterway to possibly implement a fast route from St. George to Midtown Manhattan in 2018.

[59] In September 2016, construction on 19 ferries began at two shipyards in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and Jeanerette, Louisiana,[60][57] with 200 full-time employees working on the boats.

[73] Although the service had a 95% on-time rate during the first week, NYC Ferry chartered a boat from NY Waterway due to delays on some routes.

[90] Hornblower subsequently confirmed the report, saying that the cause of the corrosion was misaligned keel coolers, and that three vessels had been removed from service in October for repair, followed by three more in November.

[109] In March 2019, the nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) found that NYC Ferry was one of the most subsidized forms of transport in New York City, despite having low ridership.

[122] Throughout 2021, numerous stops experienced periodic closures due to mechanical failures, according to AM New York Metro's analysis of announcements on NYC Ferry's Twitter account.

[137][138] Mayor Eric Adams announced in July 2022 that NYC Ferry would implement new fare rates that September, which would increase revenue by an estimated $2 million per year.

Phase 1 covered the routes implemented in 2017 and provided new service to the Rockaways, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Roosevelt Island, and Astoria in addition to areas already served by the East River Ferry.

Phase 2 covered the routes implemented in 2018 and provided new service to Soundview, Yorkville, Kips Bay, and the Lower East Side.

[104][105][169][112] In March 2023, a special AM express variant was created, which runs from Bay Ridge to Wall Street, making only one stop at Atlantic Avenue to speed up commutes.

[166][104][105][169] The construction and placement on the Coney Island dock in Fraser Park was met with opposition due to concerns over environmental impact.

[56]: 7 In July 2016, Metal Shark Boats and Horizon Shipbuilding were jointly awarded construction contracts for the service's new-build ferries.

[194] All of the vessels are powered by engines that pass Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 vehicle emission and fuel standards guidelines.

[54]: 4 [56]: 7  The Navy Yard option, which the city preferred because of its proximity to the "core operating area" of the routes and would allow an extra station to be added there in the future,[54]: 4 [56]: 7  was eventually selected.

In April, the first two vessels powered by engines meeting EPA Tier 4 emissions standards were delivered, with five additional ferries under construction and scheduled to enter service by the end of the year.

[43] One route goes west to Jacob Riis Park,[55][56]: 9  while a second was originally planned for operation between the ferry landing and Beach 67th Street, but was ultimately extended eastward.

[209] Politicians such as City Councilman Vincent Gentile and State Senator Marty Golden also lauded the fact that the ferry would bring service to places, such as southwest Brooklyn, that are underserved by transportation.

The writer noted that some of the high-quality amenities included snacks and drinks, an advanced ticketing system, connections to shuttle buses at certain terminals, and ferry workers who provided customer service—in contrast to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which she said "blames riders for its staggering decline in reliability" over the previous year.

[218] The New York Post editorial board wrote in June 2020, "Mayor Bill de Blasio's favorite white elephant had turned into a real drag on the city" even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the NYCEDC recording its first negative profits in 2019.

[224] In May 2018, The Village Voice conducted an informal demographic survey of NYC Ferry riders, since the NYCEDC had not officially released the rider-demographic data.

[39] New York Water Taxi remained separate, but was to eliminate 200 jobs;[39] it had stated that if it did not win the contract with the city to operate NYC Ferry, then it would shut down.

[47] Since the company did not win the NYC Ferry contract, it had been expected to shut down in October 2016,[225] but continued operations through the end of the year before being purchased by Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises in January 2017.