Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears Live on Fox 5 to Discuss Nyc Ferry's New Soundview Service

August 15, 2018

Kerry Drew: Joining us live this morning, we have a very special guest, we have Mayor Bill de Blasio. Good morning to you Mayor thanks for joining us.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning Kerry, how are you doing?

Drew: So how old is Ferry Ride? It would be really a game changer for people who live here in the Bronx.

Mayor: It’s right away going to cut the ride half for a lot of people here. I mean here is a community in the Bronx that has been too isolated for too long, there is not enough opportunity for folks, and to get down to the Wall Street area, Lower Manhattan, 90 minutes right now by subway and bus. Instead, as you said, 45 minutes. So it’s literally cutting the ride in half. This is – what’s amazing here is the first ferry service in the Bronx since the 1930’s. You have to go back before World War II, the last time that everyday Bronxites had a way to get around and look they’re right on the water, you can see all of Manhattan laid out right there. This is the smart way to go, and I got to tell you the enthusiasm we have heard in this community, and the appreciation that they’re finally getting their fair share, it’s been really exciting.

Drew: How have commuters reacted to this, especially those who have complained for many years that they have been underserved here by mass transit? How are they reacting this morning?

Mayor: There’s – I’ve heard a lot of appreciation, not just today, but for weeks and months before because this is a neighborhood – Soundview is a neighborhood that classically didn’t get the respect it deserved, didn’t get the investment it deserved, and it literally felt isolated. And when you look at what we’ve done with NYC Ferry approach, we’ve reached a lot of places that have had that same experience. The Rockaways in Queens, Red Hook in Brooklyn, places that, you know, did not have as many options for ways to get around and people were cut off from opportunity. Well now, if you live up here, you know you’re – you’re now not only have a great beautiful ride, but half the time you have to spend getting down to Lower Manhattan where so many of the jobs are, and for people, you know, I think they feel personally, like, it’s really valuing this neighborhood and this community that they are getting some investment too, and they’re getting the same kind of opportunities everyone else has.

Drew: Ferry ridership as a whole has really exceeded expectations I think by 34 percent just in the last year, what do you think about this? Are you surprised that people are really taking to this mode of transportation.

Mayor: Well you remember the movie Field of Dreams, and they say, “if you build it, they will come”? I really felt that when people experienced it, they would love it, because, you know, one of the great coastal cities in the world, but for some strange reason over the years we turned away from the water, and we lost an opportunity to get around in a much better way. I mean it’s faster in a lot of cases, it’s a beautiful ride, and the same price as a subway fare. So what we found is that people, once they experience, they love it. You know, do you want to be on a ferry on a beautiful day or do you want to spend twice as much time on a subway and bus, or on a highway when you are bumper to bumper, right? So I think this is really exciting for New York City because as this option grows, I think more and more people are going to use it, and that’s going to take cars of the road, that, you know, our subways are very crowded obviously, anyone who chooses this option is not on the subway, that’s good for everyone, and there is really tremendous potential here, because the water, you know, we’re surrounded by water. Every borough has places where you can reach by water that a lot people live, this is something I think that really will say a lot about the future of New York City and how we are all going to get around.

Drew: This new ferry route obviously provides more transportation options for people who live in the outer boroughs, but critics have said, you know, with the rideshare cap signed into law yesterday, that kind of lowers the amount of options, transportation options, that are available. How would you respond to those critics?

Mayor: I understand the point, but I think the numbers and the facts say the opposite. We have had a flood of these for-hire vehicles over the years. We’ve had so many put into the market, that literally one study showed that 40 percent of these vehicles drive around with no passenger in them, there is just too many for-hire vehicles. It has been bad for congestion and it’s been bad for the drivers, their wages have been pushed down and down to subminimum wage levels for a lot of these for-hire drivers. Here’s the problem, it was never a question of what’s the amount we need, right? It was just everyone do what you do and that created this glut in neighborhoods all over the City, and I’m a Brooklynite, so I think the perspective of people who don’t live in Manhattan. Of course there’s for-hire vehicles, there’s green cabs, there’s car services locally, and all the other options, and we’re building out more bus service, more ferry service, a lot of other options, bikes, all sorts of things for people. But there is no question in my mind, the for-hire vehicles, we have enough as it is, and now we’re going to study them for a year, and say what’s the number? What should it be going forward to actually provide the service people need and make sure the drivers get a decent living at the same time?

Drew: Mayor, will we see you riding the ferry at some point?

Mayor: I have been riding a number of the ferries, I don’t know if I’m going to be on this one, but I’ll definitely be out there getting around on our ferries because if there is anyone who hasn’t done it, here is my pitch for the day, ride a ferry, you will love it.