Increasing ferry ridership across the Hudson River seems like a no-brainer, both for those who appreciate the fresh air and relaxing commute, and for those who want less crowding on the GWB and in the Lincoln Tunnel.

But what if it comes at the taxpayer's expense? On Monday, Armand Pohan, the chairman of NY Waterway - one of the largest, privately owned commuter ferry services in the U.S. – put forth a thought-provoking question to the members of the New Jersey State Assembly's Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.

Why don't we get government subsidies? Pohan said that NJ Transit derives only about half its revenue from the farebox, and the PATH system – "which loses about $400 million a year" - is subsidized at a cost of about $5 per rider.

And it's only fair that companies like NY Waterway also get a piece of the pie, he argues… for everyone's benefit. "Ferries can also provide a relatively inexpensive means of providing a longer-term solution to capacity problems in the public transportation systems," Pohan asserted. "At the present time, the Regional Plan Association estimates that by 2040, trans-Hudson commuter traffic will grow by an additional 26 percent, or roughly 100,000 additional trips per day. This additional ridership simply cannot be accommodated without rehabilitating and expanding the existing public infrastructure."

See related article: Hoboken's Original Ferry Terminal Re-Opens According to Pohan, the Port Authority Bus Terminal is already over its capacity. The rail tunnels and tracks into Penn Station, which are already aged and failing, cannot accommodate additional trains. And at a fraction of the cost of new bridges, tunnels or other massive infrastructure projects, new ferryboats and facilities can be built much more quickly and cheaply by utilizing the cheapest infrastructure of all… New York Harbor.

There's just one catch: the cost.

"In order for ferries to provide meaningful overspill relief, however, the public sector needs to address the great fare disparity between public and private commutation," Pohan said. "Our 30 years' experience at NY Waterway has shown that in certain areas, there may be sufficient ridership to support a private ferry service at market rates. But to divert a substantial number of additional riders to ferries may take the same kind of government support for commuter fares which is already provided for other modes of public transportation." See related article: N.J Rail Tunnel Project Would Cost $13B - And It May Never Happen THE PROPOSED DEAL