Highlights of the 2008 National Census of Ferry Operators

BTS Products;BTS Portshttps://doi.org/10.21949/15016092010PDFBriefGoldberg, BruceFirestine, TheresaSteve, KennethUnited States. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation StatisticsUnited States. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation StatisticsUnited StatesFerry serviceTransit operatorsSR-020In 2007, 190 ferry operators across the Nation provided service to an estimated 106 million passengers through nearly 500 terminals in 37 States and 3 U.S. Territories, using a fleet of almost 700 active vessels with capacity to carry as many as 6,000 passengers at a time, or as few as 2. Service was provided on nearly 350 different route segments, covering 7,877 route miles. While the ferry network was somewhat smaller than 2 years earlier, it continued to play an important role providing commuter services in major metropolitan areas on both coasts, offering a vital intercity transportation link between coastal Alaska communities and the lower 48 States, and linking roadways and communities separated by various bodies of water. These are among the findings of the biennial 2008 National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO), which collects self-reported data from operators of itinerant, regular route ferry services in the United States and its Territories.1 The NCFO collects data on operations during the previous year; thus references in this report to 2007, 2005, and 1999 data refer to the NCFOs conducted in 2008, 2006, and 2000.123