Glen Cove Signs on Ferry Operator

By a 4 to 3 vote, the Glen Cove City Council has approved a ferry operator - Hornblower Cruises - to provide commuter services to New York City.

Glen Cove will commence ferry service between Glen Cove and Manhattan in April, 2020. The service might also include stops in the Bronx and/or Roosevelt Island. Glen Cove oficials hope to finalize a contract by October.

There was some dissent among council members due to Hornblower wantingto charge the City $1200 an hour. During the summer of 2017, the MTA offered ferry service out of Glen Cove. New York  Water Taxi provided that service. Their bid was $950 per hour compared to Hornblower.

Councilwoman Marsha Silverman, who voted for Hornblower, said that risking paying $16.6 million to the Federal Highway Administration for not having a ferry service in place was a factor. The council decided that Hornblower was a better option because New York Water Taxi would not be able to make as many trips out of Glen Cove as needed.

“We are excited to partner with Glen Cove to finalize details with the goal of delivering a new, reliable and resilient connection.” a Hornblower spokesman said in a statement.