Greenport ferry service will continue

The experimental passenger ferry service between Sag Harbor and Greenport will operate through September, but riders will have to stop using the parking lots at schools in the two villages.

The ferry began its 20-minute trips between the two villages at the end of June, and was scheduled to stop around Labor Day weekend.

Approval to run the ferry was given on a limited 100-day basis by officials in Sag Harbor and Greenport, and the extension of service is within that original period. There is no commitment from either the ferry company or village officials on renewing the service next year.

There are plans in Sag Harbor to evaluate the impact of the ferry service over the winter, to see what impact it had on traffic, parking and on local businesses, and a renewal of service would have to go through a new public hearing process.

In turn, Geoffrey Lynch and Jim Ryan, who operate Peconic Bay Water Jitney, want to review the costs of the service and whether it might be expanded, either by running more trips or by creating a bus feeder loop that would cover a larger area of the East End and could bring in more passengers. The $20 round-trip service initially attracted about 175 passengers daily, and grew to well over 250 a day, according to Lynch, who also is president of the Hampton Jitney.

He said many of the passengers on the 53-seat ferry seem to be arriving on regular Hampton Jitney buses, and that use of the school parking lots did not grow with ferry ridership.

"It's anecdotal, but we've spoken to a lot of riders," Lynch said, adding that they often "go to Greenport or Sag Harbor for lunch or dinner."