Rockaways to keep ferry service through summer

The ferry to Manhattan that served the Rockaways during the A-train outage following Superstorm Sandy will be continued through Labor Day, city officials announced Tuesday.

During the week, the ferry will shuttle residents between the Rockaways at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive and Pier 11 in lower Manhattan. The ferry service was instituted in November to ease the commute of Rockaways residents who were unable to take the badly damaged A-train.

"Ridership numbers show that this new ferry service is an important transportation option for Rockaway residents," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

The ferry, which Rockaways community leaders have wanted to be a permanent transit option, costs riders $2 each way and operates during the morning and evening rush, starting at 5:45 a.m. The ferry service has made more than 90,000 passenger trips since its launch, with an average ridership of about 700 passengers a day since the service was extended in May.