STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staffing issues are largely to blame for the Staten Island Ferry service disruptions experienced over the last few days, according to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), which reports that it will ramp up hiring in the New Year.
RECENT DISRUPTIONS
Notable modifications began Monday night, with vessels running hourly as opposed to every half hour, as typically scheduled. This altered schedule ran into Tuesday morning until normal service resumed at 5 a.m. According to the DOT, these disruptions were the result of police activity in Whitehall Terminal, as well as NYC DOT staffing issues.
Staffing issues would continue to play a role into Tuesday, as the DOT announced it would operate on a modified schedule through the afternoon and the evening rush. It was announced that departures would take place every 20 minutes through the evening rush, from both terminals. Traditionally, the ferry would provide service every 15-minutes during rush hour.
These disruptions would continue to affect ferry service through the night, as the ferry ran hourly service from 11 p.m. Tuesday night through 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to a Staten Island Ferry alert. On an average weekday, the ferry would depart every half hour from it’s terminal, according to the DOT’s Staten Island Ferry Schedule.
Problems persisted into Wednesday, as a Staten Island Ferry alert announced that the ferry would operate on a modified schedule Wednesday afternoon, with 20-minute service during the morning rush. This time, the changes were attributed to fog.
TROUBLES THIS TIME LAST YEAR
This string of unforeseen schedule delays hearkens back to last year, when the Staten Island Ferry struggled to run at full capacity due partly to staffing troubles and partly to a fire that broke out on one of the newer ships — the Sandy Ground — just before Christmas.
On New Year’s Eve of 2022, during the overnight hours stretching into Jan. 1, 2023, the DOT utilized smaller,…
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