Savannah Belles Ferry

Last updated

Savannah Belles Ferry, Susie King Taylor.jpg
The Susie King Taylor in 2016
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameSavannah Belles Ferry
Owner Chatham Area Transit
OperatorChatham Area Transit
Completed2000(24 years ago) (2000)
StatusOperational
General characteristics
Type Ferry
Decks1

The Savannah Belles Ferry is a series of four passenger ferries in Savannah, Georgia, United States, which run between Savannah's River Street (from City Hall or from Waving Girl Landing) and Hutchinson Island in the Savannah River. Established in 2000, [1] they are owned and operated by Chatham Area Transit (CAT), and run at no cost to the public. The ferries run between 7.00 AM and 10.00 PM, seven days a week. [2]

The vessels are named for four noteworthy women from Savannah's history: Juliette Gordon Low, Susie King Taylor, Florence Martus and Mary Musgrove. [2]

In both 2019 and 2020, CAT was awarded two grants from the Federal Transit Administration for a new ferries, increasing its total to six. [3]

In July 2023, CAT temporarily stopped calling at the Savannah Convention Center dock on Hutchinson Island, instead using the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa dock. [4]

Between 2001 and 2011, passenger boardings increased from 289,000 to 539,000. They operate 362 days a year (not on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving or New Year's), but cannot operate in fog or lightning. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth most populous city, with a 2020 U.S. census population of 147,780. The Savannah metropolitan area, Georgia's third-largest, had a 2020 population of 404,798.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staten Island Ferry</span> Passenger ferry service in New York City

The Staten Island Ferry is a fare-free passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs 5.2 miles (8.4 km) through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry boats making the trip in about 25 minutes. The ferry operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with boats leaving every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at other times. Apart from NYC Ferry's St. George route, it is the only direct mass-transit connection between the two boroughs. Historically, the Staten Island Ferry has charged a relatively low fare compared to other modes of transit in the area; and since 1997, the route has been fare-free. The Staten Island Ferry is one of several ferry systems in the New York City area and is operated separately from systems like NYC Ferry and NY Waterway.

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Set up in 1960 to provide a similar service to that provided by the Black Ball Line and the Canadian Pacific Railway, which were affected by job action at the time, BC Ferries has become the largest passenger ferry line in North America, operating a fleet of 41 vessels with a total passenger and crew capacity of over 27,000, serving 47 locations on the B.C. coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaBus</span> Passenger-only ferry service in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry service in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It crosses Burrard Inlet to connect the cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver. Owned by TransLink and operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company, the SeaBus forms an important part of the region's integrated public transportation system. In 2023, the SeaBus had a ridership of 5,127,000, or about 14,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA boat</span> Ferry service in Massachusetts, US

The MBTA ferry system is a public boat service providing water transportation in Boston Harbor. It is operated by Hornblower Cruises under contract to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,260,000, or about 3,900 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023. The system has six routes that terminate in downtown Boston. Year-round routes run to Hingham directly (F1) and via Hull (F2H), and to the Charlestown Navy Yard (F4). Seasonal routes run to Lynn (F3), Winthrop (F5), and East Boston (F6).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit Authority of River City</span> Transportation provider in Kentucky, United States

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is the major public transportation provider for Louisville, Kentucky and parts of southern Indiana, including the suburbs of Clark County and Floyd County. TARC is publicly funded and absorbed private mass-transit companies in Louisville, the largest of which was the Louisville Transit Company. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,655,200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority</span>

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) provides area residents and visitors public transportation within parts of Charleston and Dorchester counties in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston, North Charleston and the surrounding communities of Mount Pleasant, Summerville, James Island, Sullivan's Island, and the Isle of Palms. CARTA presently contracts with Transdev for staffing and managing the bus drivers in addition to maintaining and scheduling the buses. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,191,500, or about 7,100 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Martus</span>

Florence Margaret Martus, also known as "the Waving Girl", took it upon herself to be the unofficial greeter of all ships entering and leaving the Port of Savannah, Georgia, via the Savannah River, between 1887 and 1931. A few years after she began waving at passing sailors, she moved in with her brother, a light keeper, at his small white cottage about five miles upriver from Fort Pulaski. From her rustic home on Elba Island, a tiny piece of land in the Savannah River near the Atlantic Ocean, Martus waved a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. According to legend, not a ship was missed in her forty-four years on watch. A statue of Martus by the sculptor Felix de Weldon was erected in Morrell Park on Savannah's historic riverfront in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King County Water Taxi</span> Passenger ferry service in King County, Washington

The King County Water Taxi is a passenger-only fast ferry service operated by the King County Metro Transit Department, Marine Division. It operates two routes between Downtown Seattle and West Seattle or Vashon Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Bay Ferry</span> Public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay Ferry is a public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay, administered by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and operated under contract by the privately owned, Blue and Gold Fleet. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,230,400, or about 8,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Reserve at Savannah Harbor is the first neighborhood community on Hutchinson Island, Georgia, a river island located directly across the Savannah River from historic downtown Savannah, Georgia, and now being developed with commercial and residential components. The neighborhood is 100 acres (0.40 km2) in size and surrounded on three sides by the Savannah Harbor Golf Course, which hosts the annual Champions Tour's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, and on the fourth by the Back River. The Talmadge Bridge and Causeway connects Hutchinson Island with Savannah to the south and South Carolina to the north. A five-minute ferry service operated by Chatham Area Transit also services the island from historic River Street in Savannah.

Hutchinson Island is a river island in the Savannah River, north of downtown Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The island is formed where the Back River breaks off to the north from the Savannah River. Historically, Hutchinson Island's land use has been primarily industrial, much of which supported the Port of Savannah, one of the busiest containerization cargo ports in the world. The island is roughly 7 miles long and 1 mile wide at its widest point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Street Streetcar</span>

The River Street Streetcar was a heritage streetcar line in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It began regular operation on February 11, 2009, and shuttled between six stops along River Street, next to the Savannah River. In or around 2015, service was quietly discontinued, with no official notice at the time. The maintenance and storage tent on the west side of the line was removed along with the streetcar vehicle itself. It is now being stored at the Georgia State Railroad Museum in the roundhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Area Transit</span>

Chatham Area Transit (CAT) is the provider of public transportation in the Savannah, Georgia, metropolitan area. The Authority was founded in 1987, evolving from previous transit providers. Services operate seven days a week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Staten Island Railway</span>

The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is the only rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island and is operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, a unit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The railway was historically considered a standard railroad line, but today only the western portion of the North Shore Branch, which is disconnected from the rest of the SIR, is used by freight and is connected to the national railway system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NYC Ferry</span> Ferry system in New York City

NYC Ferry is a public network of ferry routes in New York City operated by Hornblower Cruises. As of August 2023, there are six routes, as well as one seasonal route, connecting 25 ferry piers across all five boroughs. NYC Ferry has the largest passenger fleet in the United States with a total of 38 vessels, providing between 20 and 90 minute service on each of the routes, depending on the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitsap Fast Ferries</span> Passenger ferry system connecting Seattle to Kitsap County, Washington

Kitsap Fast Ferries is a passenger ferry service operating between Seattle and Kitsap County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is funded and operated by Kitsap Transit and began service in July 2017, with a single boat traveling between Seattle and Bremerton. A second route, from Seattle to Kingston, launched in November 2018, and a third route serving Seattle and Southworth began operating in March 2021. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,091,400, or about 40,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Joseph Murray Rivers was an American businessman and transit advocate. He served on the Chatham County Commission beginning in 1985, and served as its commissioner between 1985 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public transportation in Savannah, Georgia</span>

Public transportation in Savannah, Georgia, is available for all four main modes of transport—air, bus, ferry and rail—assisting residents and visitors without their own vehicle to travel around much of Savannah's 113 square miles (290 km2).

References

  1. 1 2 Rigsby, G. G. "Trade center authority struggles with funding for ferries". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Savannah Belles Ferry – Chatham Area Transit (CAT)" . Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. "Federal grant for $1.28M to fund new Savannah ferry boat". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. "Savannah Belles Ferry to operate at new dock site". WSAV-TV. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.