NEW ORLEANS — Most regular riders on the Algiers to Canal Street Ferry in New Orleans live on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Proposed cuts in ferry service would be a hardship for those who depend on the boat to get to and from work or school.
“It just doesn’t make any sense at all,” Connie Burks from Friends of the Ferry said.
The Regional Transit Authority is now threatening to shorten the ferry’s hours of operation to 9 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. daily.
Currently, morning departures start at 6 a.m., with the final crossing at 10:30 p.m.
“If they want numbers of people on the ferry and they cut out the commuters, the only people that will be on the ferry will be the occasional tourist or somebody who decides to go down to Canal Street or the French Quarter to go shopping or something,” Burks said.
According to an RTA spokesperson, “Currently, RTA’s ferry service is facing a $3 million shortfall and will require a reduction of service if a funding source is not identified…The RTA has been working with Mayor Cantrell to close the funding shortfall and she is committed to maintaining current ferry service levels in 2024.”
The projected gap comes after the RTA received $10 million from the state legislature for ferry operations and maintenance.
The new ferry hours would also hurt Algiers Point businesses that depend on the boat to bring tourists across the Mississippi.
Monday, it was a topic of discussion at the Dry Dock, a popular restaurant and bar near the ferry landing.
“Those hours that they are opening and closing aren’t good hours,” customer Veronica Papendieck said. “They’re not feasible for somebody who’s working that’s trying to get home from work or a tourist coming over here and is stranded.”
Absent additional funding, reduced ferry service hours would start January 14th.
In the meantime, Algiers leaders are demanding a public meeting with the RTA and city officials to discuss the potential changes.
City Councilman Freddie King, whose district includes Algiers in a statement said:
“I have been actively engaged with the leadership of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and Mayor Cantrell’s administration to address the funding issue. We are…aiming to maintain the current ferry operating hours in the upcoming year."
Here is the RTA’s full statement :
“Currently, RTA’s ferry service is facing a $3 million shortfall and will require a reduction of service if a funding source is not identified. RTA’s local sales tax funding can only be used to fund streetcar and bus service. RTA began 2023 with a projected $19.8 million shortfall for 2024. Thanks to Sen. Gary Carter and the New Orleans Delegation, the RTA was appropriated $10 million in operating funds in the legislative session. The RTA also will save $6 million by working with the State to retire the second Chalmette ferry vessel because it requires $6 million in deferred maintenance. The RTA has been working with Mayor Cantrell to close the funding shortfall and she is committed to maintaining current ferry service levels in 2024.”
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