Rockland ferries cruise in Downtown

Afternoon commuters boarded a boat to Yonkers and Haverstraw at the World Financial Center Tuesday evening, the first day of the Haverstraw service.

Private ferry service from Haverstraw to Lower Manhattan began Sept. 4, although ridership was low the first day.

Very few ferry commuters waiting at the World Financial Center Tuesday afternoon were headed for Haverstraw, but a spokesperson for New York Water Taxi said 46 people took the new ride from or to the W.F.C. or Pier 11 near Wall St.

The afternoon boat stops at Yonkers before Haverstraw and M.J. Wilson, who was headed to Yonkers, was happy about the new service. “One good thing is there’s one more boat now,” she said. The Yonkers service began in May.

The yellow ferry is scheduled to depart from Haverstraw at 6:15 a.m. followed by another boat 50 minutes later. Two Haverstraw boats leave from Pier 11 en route to the W.F.C. at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Stacey Sherman, Water Taxi’s spokesperson, said the new service is a big time savings for Rockland and Westchester County commuters. She said ridership should increase over time.

A one-way trip on the Haverstraw ferry to Lower Manhattan costs $15 and takes about 90 minutes. A 10-trip book is $130 and a 40-trip book is $450.

Coincidentally, Arthur E. Imperatore, founder and C.E.O. of Water Taxi’s larger and older rival, New York Waterway, was waiting in Battery Park City Tuesday for one of his own boats to Weehawken, N.J. He had little to say about Water Taxi’s new service, but he said his firm “framed” the concepts that led to Water Taxi’s new route.

— Margarita Lopez