The Port Authority has issued a request for proposals for ferry service between Lower Manhattan and JFK airport. Proposals are due in November, though it is not clear when the PA hopes to initiate service.

It will be an interesting project to follow, because it could provide indications of the size of the market seeking a transit link between JFK and the downtown area. Governor Pataki, Senator Schumer and business leaders want to lavish scarce transit funding on a new tunnel for a commuter train from lower Manhattan to JFK and Long Island, but the rider demand for the project remains unproven.

It’s possible the ferry service would include commuter stops in the Rockaways. The JFK slip would enable passengers to board the AirTrain at Lefferts Boulevard. It’s unknown what fares would be. The Port Authority currently charges subway riders switching to AirTrain $5 to travel around the airport. The PA has discussed a lower Manhattan-LaGuardia Airport boat for years but has never implemented it.

Angry NJ ferry riders are fighting NY Waterway fare hikes, and attempted a one-day boycott on September 8 that was largely drowned out by the problems confronting train riders thanks to severe flooding that day. NY Waterway said its passenger volumes were higher than normal that day. Success of any rider action is unlikely, since there is limited public oversight of ferry fares, disgruntled boat riders have the option of debarking in favor of parallel PATH train or bus service (and the Hudson County light rail line has just reached Weehawken).

Mayor Bloomberg’s new "mayor’s management report" says ridership on private ferries is off significantly this year from fiscal 2003. Ferry use reached a high of 64,000 weekday riders last year but has fallen to just under 50,000 this year. The report attributes the decline to the re-opening of the World Trade Center PATH station, which now sees 33,000 weekday riders. That level is significantly ahead of Port Authority projections for returning riders. NY Waterway told the NY Post that its ridership is about where it was prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and that the company was confident of a strong market going forward.

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