KIDS RIDE FREE ON NY WATERWAY FERRIES THIS SUMMER
Free Fares for Children Under 12 Beginning Wednesday, July 8 Through Monday, September 7
Weehawken, NJ (July 8, 2026) -- NY Waterway, which operates the largest ferry fleet between New Jersey and New York, announced that kids will once again ride free on all NY Waterway ferry routes this summer beginning Wednesday, July 8 through Monday, September 7, 2026.
Children under the age of 12 may ride free with a paying adult, with a limit of two free children per adult. The promotion is valid on all NY Waterway ferry routes, excluding Metro North routes.
The ferry offers a family-friendly, affordable, and traffic-free way to experience New York City. Along the way, passengers can enjoy panoramic views of New York Harbor from the open-air top decks before connecting to popular NYC neighborhoods and attractions via NY Waterway's free multi-route shuttles traveling throughout Manhattan. All shuttles can be located in real-time on the free NY Waterway App.
The Kids Ride Free promotion requires no physical ticket for children, and there is no limit to the number of free trips families can take during the promotion period.
Kids Ride Free applies to all of NY Waterway’s 9 New Jersey ferry terminals and all routes to and from Midtown & Downtown NYC. Several New Jersey ferry terminals offer low-cost parking (free in South Amboy). Riders can also reach many NY Waterway terminals by the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line, NJ TRANSIT (rail & bus), and free NY Waterway buses.
Visit nywaterway.com for full details, terminals, routes & schedules.
Download the free NY Waterway app for mobile ticketing, schedules, and the real-time bus locator.
Get updates at 1-800-53-FERRY, nywaterway.com, facebook.com/nywaterway, or twitter.com/ridetheferry.
About NY Waterway
NY Waterway operates the nation’s largest privately owned commuter ferry service, including the biggest fleet traveling between New Jersey and New York. Every day, NY Waterway’s ferries, together with its free shuttle buses in New York and New Jersey, provide tens of thousands of commuters with safe, fast, convenient, and reliable transit service.
NY Waterway ferry routes feature daily service between terminals in Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, Edgewater and South Amboy in New Jersey and Midtown, Battery Park City and Wall Street in Manhattan. In cooperation with MTA Metro North Railroad, ferries bring commuters from the west side of the Hudson River in Haverstraw to the Hudson Line station Ossining.
NY Waterway continues to evolve and innovate, adding new routes to meet changing commuter demand and upgrading its fleet to utilize hybrid-electric power.
Celebrating 40 Years
Founded in 1986, NY Waterway is celebrating four decades of exceptional service. NY Waterway ferries regularly provide emergency service when public transit systems are disrupted. On 9/11, NY Waterway ferries evacuated more than 150,000 people from Manhattan, part of the largest maritime evacuation in history. Ferry crews have also rescued more than 300 people from New York waters, most notably the 2009 rescue of 143 people from US Airways Flight 1549, the Miracle on the Hudson.