The city’s new ferry service isn’t off to a great start

The new citywide ferry service got off to a bumpy start Monday when one of its East River boats was an hour later and then went out of service, abruptly stranding dozens of riders.

The ferry, which was supposed to arrive at 9:26 a.m. at North Williamsburg in Brooklyn to take riders to Midtown, was about 60 minutes late, then went extra-slow on the water and prematurely ended its route one stop later in Greenpoint, frustrated passengers said. Passengers were forced to wait for the next ferry to pick them up.

“This is totally unacceptable,” said Syed Hoda, who travels to work in Midtown each morning. “The worst part is that no one said anything or seemed to know what was going on. The employee who was there was telling people they should run and catch the subway.”

Officials at Hornblower, the ferry company contracted by the city to run the service, said there was a “mechanical problem” with the boat.

Some of the boats also didn’t have the promised concessions, including cold-brew coffee and beer, up and running yet.

Instead, ferry employees handed out Dunkin Donut munchkins and lukewarm coffee.

The East River route has been running for several years, but Monday was its first official day as part of the new citywide ferry service.

Hoda, who has been taking the ferry for about a year, said he’s worried that service will go downhill now that the city is in charge.

“I worry that it’s going to be all messed up now that it’s public funded,” he said. “There are so many things they didn’t seem to think about before the launch.”

The other new citywide ferry route was launched Monday between Pier 11 on Wall Street and Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive in the Rockaways, Queens, with one stop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Riders who got on in Queens said they were grateful to have a more pleasant way to get to work than sitting on the A train.

“You’re not sitting in the subway seeing darkened walls. You can see the city in all its grandeur,” said Carl Quigley, 62, who lives in the Rockaways and was headed to work in Brooklyn Heights. “It’s a more conductive way to start a good work day.”