At a recent press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that riders of the Staten Island Ferry will be able to board from the lower level at both the St. George and Whitehall terminals. After 13-years, lower-level boarding will resume at the beginning of September, from 7 AM to 9 AM, weekdays, at the St. George Ferry Terminal, and all day at Manhattan's Whitehall Ferry Terminal.
The reasoning to bring back lower level boarding is to improve service and increase Ferry rider's comfort by reducing congestion. By opening up the first level boarding, it will cost $2 million to implement.
The Staten Island Ferry conducts 23 million trips each year and carries nearly 70,000 passengers daily. A 2013 study from the city's Economic Development…