Today, May 1st at 5:15AM, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. took a ride on the inaugural trip from Beach 108th Street Ferry Landing to Wall Street, Manhattan, to officially inaugurate the new NYC Ferry. The Ferry opened one month ahead of schedule and is expected to reduce commute times for South Queens residents by up to an hour. The two elected officials spoke to the impact the Ferry will have on their communities in terms of economics, tourism and transportation equity. Pheffer Amato and Addabbo have been pushing for transportation alternatives for years for South Queens, which is widely considered to be a transit desert. "This ferry is exactly what we've needed to give Rockaway residents something approaching a normal commute,” said Pheffer Amato. “To get that commute in speed and style, a month early? We're over the moon. We're glad the City is finally connecting South Queens to the rest of NYC in a workable way. This is a great day and it was so great to take the first ride with my neighbors!" "This day has been a long time coming," Addabbo said. "At long last, Rockaway has its ferry. The introduction of the new Citywide Ferry Service will give residents and commuters improved, credible transit options, taking them to-and-from Rockaway Beach, Brooklyn Army Terminal and Wall Street/Pier 11." Pheffer Amato and Addabbo took the one-hour trip to talk to crew members, employees and neighbors, sampled the full-service concession stand, and led a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for a passenger. “This is the most exciting day I’ve had in a while,” said Pheffer Amato. “Two seventy-five to take the most gorgeous, easy commute. It’s an amazing day for the Rockaway Peninsula community and for New York City, to see all the hard work and dedication to this fight for better transportation options finally come to fruition.”

Pheffer Amato, NYC Ferry Captain, Addabbo

Justin Willson (Breezy Point native, SUNY Maritime grad), Pheffer Amato