The Staten Island Ferry

The city has until April 1 to decide whether the Staten Island Ferry will run every 30 minutes around the clock.

(Staten Island Advance/Anthony DePrimo)

CITY HALL -- The city has until Wednesday (April 1) to decide whether the Staten Island Ferry will run every 30 minutes around the clock.

The increase could potentially affect thousands of Staten Islanders who commute to Manhattan late at night and must wait up to an hour at the ferry terminals.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday refused to say if a decision had already been made.

"Now, it's not tomorrow yet, is it?" the mayor said when asked about the service expansion. De Blasio added that the city was "very aware of the deadline" and would be making an announcement.

"It's not tomorrow until it's tomorrow," the mayor said. Asked if he knew whether service would be funded, de Blasio called the question "disingenuous, respectfully."

Twenty-six weekend trips were added last year during the first phase of service expansion, mandated by a 2013 law. The Department of Transportation has until April 1 to study whether the city can increase half-hour service completely by the law's May 1 deadline.

The mayor's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2016, presented in February, didn't include any additional funds to fully expand ferry service. De Blasio said at the time that the expansion was "an April discussion."

The mayor's first preliminary budget -- as well as the adopted budget -- baselined $3.17 million in fiscal year 2015 for the additional service, with the same amount for the out years of the financial plan. The preliminary 2016 budget continues that pattern for more service, officials said.

Should the city determine on Wednesday that more service isn't feasible, the issue needs to be re-examined every two years.

Longer ferry waits

Though boats depart from terminals every 30 minutes throughout most of the day, there are still pockets of hour-long wait times overnight.

-- Ferries from St. George Terminal run by the hour on weekdays from 1 to 5 a.m., Saturdays from 2 to 6 a.m. and Sundays from 2 to 9 a.m.

-- Ferries from Whitehall Terminal run by the hour on weekdays from 1:30 to 5:30 a.m., Saturdays from 2:30 to 6:30 a.m. and Sundays from 2:30 to 9:30 a.m.

The feasibility study may include an analysis of ridership numbers, a review of economic development or population changes that could affect ridership and any plans for future expansion.

The Staten Island Ferry carries more than 20 million passengers on over 37,000 trips annually. In the months after service was expanded last year, the ferry saw a significant bump in ridership.

The city has previously said annual ridership is expected to increase by more than 68,000 passengers after the first new trips were added last May. An additional 605,000 riders were logged from July to October alone, according to city figures.

While it's unclear if the ridership increase is the result of more trips, local elected officials have maintained that the full expansion a "no-brainer."

They note the North Shore's upcoming revitalization through a series of development projects, as well as de Blasio's own plans to increase affordable housing there.

The plan to rezone the Bay Street Corridor notes that the area is "within walking distance" of the Staten Island Ferry.