Citywide ferry service coming to NYC in 2017

Ferry service will soon connect all five boroughs of New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. Hornblower will operate commuter ferry service in the Big Apple beginning in 2017.

Officials have faced tough criticism for the present state of transportation in the city, as well as proposed plans for future improvements as delays on crowded subways have increased.

Ferry service connecting the boroughs is one way for the city to reduce the load on bridges and tunnels, especially between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

"It has been more than a century since this great coastal city has had citywide ferry services."

The Citywide Ferry service, scheduled to launch in June 2017, will carry an estimated 4.6 million passengers annually by 2018, reports DNA Info. 

The toll will be the same as a subway or bus ride, though it is not yet known if there will be a free transfer from the other services, which are run by the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

"It has been more than a century since this great coastal city has had citywide ferry services," de Blasio said Wednesday. 

"In the history of New York City, ferries are the way that people used to get around and it was part of everyday life. But in the last 100 years ferry service declined and declined."

California-based Hornblower presently offers cruises around Manhattan.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.