Fast boat instead of bus and train: What can be learned from London and New York

Contents

Yes, the German capital Berlin has – just like Hamburg around the harbor – ferries. Among them is even one that is rowed by hand from April to October every 60 minutes. They are integrated into the offerings of the local transport company BVG and mostly cover shorter distances. But what people really want, namely an ideally electric rapid transit on the Spree from Müggelsee in the east to the Havel in the west, simply doesn't exist.

Instead, there is often high-emission excursion traffic that chugs leisurely through the city center, primarily targets tourists, and hardly contributes to getting around faster and, above all, more environmentally friendly. Yet, numerous important facilities that people want to reach are located directly on the river – and could be easily accessed using existing piers. The existing public transport of S-Bahn and U-Bahn, regional trains, buses, and trams, which is already working at its limit („I am a passenger, I will get off now“), could be relieved. But what about other metropolises around the world, how do they use their rivers? The examples of New York (with the East River and Hudson) and London (with the Thames) show how well this can work, even if things are done quite differently in each case. What can be learned from these floating local transport services for Germany, and how much better do they utilize the waterway resource for the urban community?

The Staten Island Ferry is not everything

Most people probably only know one important ferry from New York: the Staten Island Ferry. It is a free shuttle between Staten Island – where no train goes – and the Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan. The route is surprisingly busy: with just under 17 million passengers (figure from 2024), it is considered the most used pedestrian ferry on the planet. However, its usefulness for New Yorkers who do not live or work on Staten Island is rather limited – tourists, on the other hand, enjoy the beautiful "views" of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, which it passes by.

The offerings of other companies are significantly more interesting for the city's population. There are two main providers: NY Waterway, which operates on the Hudson, is based at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and connects New York City with various locations in New Jersey and the Hudson Valley, as well as NYC Ferry. In addition, there are smaller providers like Seastreak – the latter company even advertises its service with the slogan of offering "the most civilized way" from New Jersey to Manhattan.

East River Hopping by Ferry

This text will primarily focus on NYC Ferry, which is operated as a public transport provider by a private ferry company. It is the largest fleet of passenger ships in the United States and can greatly facilitate the inner-city transport of the 8.8 million city – at least, if you know how. The network of NYC Ferry primarily covers the East River, i.e., the area between Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens where most people live.

Finally, there is the St. George line, a (paid) competitor to the Staten Island Ferry. However, it travels a longer route: from Midtown West via Battery Park City to St. George on Staten Island – and from there, it goes back to the central pier at Wall Street (Pier 11) via Bay Ridge and Atlantic Avenue. In total, the ferry operator runs seven lines – from Throgs Neck in the Bronx to Rockaway in Queens. This includes local transport (East River A and B), which connects Brooklyn and parts of Queens with Manhattan, plus shuttle bus services in Queens and Midtown Manhattan.

A Little Cruise for a Bargain Price

For an expensive city like New York City, using NYC Ferry is surprisingly affordable. A one-way trip costs $4.50, including free ferry transfers for up to 120 minutes. For context: The long round trip from Midtown West via Staten Island to Pier 11 at Wall Street takes 68 minutes. The longest route in the network, from the Bronx to Rockaway in Queens, takes 120 minutes, so it can almost be considered a mini-cruise. The Astoria Route is popular with tourists. It runs along the east side of Manhattan and "jumps" back and forth between Queens/Brooklyn and the other side of the river. The endpoints are Wall Street in the south and East 90th Street in the north. The scenery is breathtaking depending on the weather – and a trip to the beautiful Roosevelt Island (which has a cable car to Manhattan) is also recommended.

If you want to travel more than once, you can purchase 10-trip tickets for $29 or a two-day ticket for $15. The easiest way to buy tickets and plan your trip is with the official NYC Ferry iOS and Android application; in addition, the major map apps include the live schedule. Unfortunately, as is common in New York, there is no integration with other means of transport: the OMNY card for subways and buses, which will replace the Metrocard from 2026, does not work on the ferries, as is already the case with the – surprisingly belonging to the same transport company – trains of the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North, which also have their own app ("TrainTime").

Across the Pond to Uber-boating

Let's take a leap back across the pond to London, UK. There, potential boat passengers are initially confronted with a slightly confusing branding: of all companies, the ride-sharing provider Uber has secured the "Naming Rights" for local Thames river traffic, even though it doesn't operate it itself. The river vessels are simply called Uber Boat because the city – or rather, the operator – wanted to generate some revenue through sponsorship, similar to how the cable car in Greenwich was first called "Emirates Air Line" (after the airline from the Emirates) and is now called „IFS Cloud Cable Car“ (after a Swedish enterprise cloud provider).

Uber Boat is operated by the river transport company Thames Clippers, which acquired the license from Transport for London (TfL). The company has since been bought by a private equity firm, after once belonging to the entertainment group Anschutz, which wanted to improve the connection to its concert hall (formerly Millennium Dome, now "The O2") in southeast London. This has since developed into a stable network of 24 piers – from Putney in the west through the entire city center to Barking Riverside in the east. While the west-east connection has significantly improved with the introduction of the fast and comfortable Elizabeth Line (formerly called Crossrail), this only helps Londoners if a station is nearby. If the destination is near the river – be it Battersea, Waterloo, or Westminster – the Uber Boat trip on the Thames can still be the better choice. It is helpful that the ferries can indeed pick up speed, especially in the less frequented areas of the river: the catamarans, of which there are now three diesel-hybrid ferries, can reach up to 28 knots (electric operation: 12 knots).

Three Zones and Not Exactly Cheap

The Uber Boat network consists of three zones: West, Central, and East. There are five ferry lines, which overlap or only operate at certain times. This includes a short connection (Ferry Crossing) between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe (RB4), where one would rather wish for a bridge – at least there is an electric ferry operating here. Canary Wharf is best connected, with many train lines also available. It runs daily to Putney (RB6) and to Barking Riverside with all stops (RB1). It gets a bit more complex towards the west. Here, you should check the app to see if the desired stop is served "off-peak" (i.e., outside of rush hours) and on weekends. Sometimes you have to change trains to get to Battersea or further west.

Travel times vary. For example, it takes 37 minutes from London Bridge to Battersea, and 23 minutes from Greenwich to Tower. The Uber Boat accepts either its own tickets – easiest to purchase via the app – or simply contactless and Oyster cards, which makes using it very convenient – tap in and tap out, done. However, the fares are higher than for trains and buses. For example, between Battersea and Canary Wharf, at least 9.50 British pounds are charged; shorter routes are cheaper.

The River is Already There

The examples of London and New York show that boat public transport can work well on city rivers. And why shouldn't it: Boat traffic in these areas is mostly tourist-oriented and rarely logistical anymore – and even then, boats, as the example of London shows, can cooperate well and rarely hinder each other. The river as a transport route is also simply there and only needs to be upgraded with comparatively inexpensive infrastructure (vehicles and, if necessary, new piers).

You can experience how to do it surprisingly well with good ferry transport in a city that otherwise has extremely below-average public transport: In the theme park metropolis of Orlando, Florida. There, the "Experiences" department of the Disney corporation operates numerous small and large ships around its own grounds at World Disney World, transporting guests from park to park or hotel to hotel. This is suitable – in addition to a monorail, cable car, and bus system – because the grounds with Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, as well as the Disney Springs shopping complex and a sports and water park, are gigantic. Guests do not have to pay a cent for the ride, not even park admission tickets are necessary.

(bsc)