Began operation 1883 | ||
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Transit type Passenger and automobile ferry Route Bridgeport - Port Jefferson Carries passengers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses of all sizes Operator Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company | ||
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry, known legally as The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Company is a ferry company that operates vehicle and passenger ferry service across the Long Island Sound, between the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut and the Long Island village of Port Jefferson, New York.
Contents
Service
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry operates between Port Jefferson, NY and Bridgeport, CT, and currently consists of three vessels and two terminals. Tickets were for many years purchased while onboard the vessel (at a purser's booth) and turn them in before walking or driving off. However, in June 2016, a new ticket system was implemented, where tickets are purchased and turned in before boarding the vessel. Tickets are sold online, over the phone, and inside the terminals. The new tickets, which contain bar codes, are scanned upon arrival, and can even be displayed over a cell phone or mobile device. Travel time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Each vessel contains a large cabin with seating area, a snack bar, and a cocktail lounge. Both the city of Bridgeport and the Bridgeport Port Authority receive a percentage of the ferry's ticket sales, a subject of controversy during a 2009 lawsuit brought on by the ferry company against the port authority.
History
The first ferry service began in 1872 and proved popular. The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company was subsequently founded in 1883 by several backers, including entrepreneur P.T. Barnum, and Port Jefferson seaman Charles E. Tooker. The ferry company originally operated steamship service, but the acquisition of the Martha's Vineyard in 1968 ended steamship service. Since then, the company has been referred to in signage and conversation as the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry, but Steamboat Company is still used legally.
Since 1980, the President has been Brian McAllister who also owns one hundred percent of the company's shares. The McAllisters purchased the company in 1960 from Joseph Tooker (Charles Tooker's grandson).
All season transportation began in 1983 with the launching of the Grand Republic. Since then, the service imperative has shifted towards vehicles, although foot passengers remain a significant form of revenue.
In 1999, with the launching of the PT Barnum, the ferry company began operating hourly, three-vessel service on weekends, holidays, and during the summer. The ferry company still operates only two vessels on off-season weekdays, with departures every 90 minutes.
On May 29, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a United States District Court for the District of Connecticut ruling that the Bridgeport Port Authority was unconstitutionally collecting taxes from the ferry company and passengers. The port authority was ordered to pay the ferry company $1.1 million in reparations.
In 2013, the ferry company unveiled plans to move it's Bridgeport dock across the Pequonnock River to a new and larger terminal. The city approved the plan in April 2014, and the new terminal is slated to open in 2020.
Ports
The distance between the two ports is approximately 18 miles (29 km). The average crossing is one hour and fifteen minutes in duration.
Bridgeport
41°10′21″N 73°10′55″W
The ferry is located at 330 Water Street Dock Bridgeport, CT 06604. It is within walking distance of the Arena at Harbor Yard, the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, the Barnum Museum, the Metro-North station, the main GBTA Bus Station, the Klein Memorial Auditorium, and most of the downtown. In 2004 a new car loading ramp was installed featuring AASHTO HS-20 truck capacity. The aforementioned proposed new terminal will be located on Seaview Avenue at the former site of Turbana Corporation.
Port Jefferson
40°56′46″N 73°3′44″W
The ferry is located at 102 West Broadway Port Jefferson, NY 11777. A large gold leaf statue of an eagle was erected on the corner of Routes 112 and 25A in 2002, replacing one of Thomas Jefferson. Directly across from the dock, it is a monument for victims of 9/11. The ferry is approximately one mile north of the Port Jefferson LIRR station.
Vessels
The ferries can accommodate passengers on foot, with bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses including those over 55 feet in length. There is no charge for children under the age of 12. Service is year-round, and begins from both Bridgeport and Port Jefferson at 6AM and continues throughout the day at an hourly basis until 10PM with some exceptions. The trip duration in each direction is 1hr 15min
There have been eleven vessels to operate on the line. The ships below have the following statistics, except where noted.