How To Get NYC Ferry Discount Tickets Without Excess Stress –...

Discount tickets for seniors, people with disabilities as well as those in the Fair Fares NYC program are now available. It’s a bit complicated, but with the help of Roosevelt Islander Sylvan Klein, we’ve sorted it out for you. Here’s how it works. Or as it should work because the program is new and has glitches.

by David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

Starting September 12th, NYC Ferry revamped its ticketing system, increasing the basic fare and ending monthly passes. At the same time, they introduced discount tickets for bulk purchases as well as seniors, passengers with disabilities and Fair Fares NYC users.

Regular tickets are straightforward. As in the past, you buy them on the app or at a vending machine, but discount tickets – other than 10-packs – are a little complicated. With the help of Sylvan Klein, we’re here to help.

How To Get Discount Tickets

First, don’t do what we did. That is, don’t look carefully at NYC Ferry’s Terms and Conditions page and fill out the online form there. The T&Cs are great. They include all you need to know. But to our dismay after filling out the form, there is no SUBMIT button.

You’re left dangling in internet limbo.

However, you can print the document from there. Once filled out, you can take a ferry ride downtown and turn it in with the document(s) required at the Wall Street Terminal. That’s what Klein did yesterday.

Eligibility Requirements:

From the NYC Website…

To be eligible to participate in the Ferry Discount Program as a senior citizen, you must be aged 65 or older. When completing your application, you must submit one of the following documents to verify your identity and age:
• Government Issued Photo ID (e.g. NYS ID, IDNYC)
• Driver’s License from any state
• Passport from any country
• US Military ID
• Tribal ID
• Expired government-issued photo ID – up to 3 years prior
• USCIS Registration Card/Permanent Resident Card/Green Card Naturalization Certificate
• Adoption Papers
• Birth Certificate
• Medicare Card

Easy peasy… but there are no details on documents needed for disabled or Fair Fares discount tickets. You may have to wing it.

But Isn’t There an Easier Way?

Some people need or want an easier way than ponying all the way downtown. After all, this is the online age, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we apply online?

Yes and yes. But here’s a note of caution: We haven’t tried it. NYC Ferry has a good online record though, so we expect it to work.

Scroll all the way down NYC Ferry’s Ticketing Info page, and Voici! There’s a submittable online form.

Fill it out, attach the needed documents (see above) and hit SUBMIT. Whatever document you use for proof must be a clear and clean copy. The easiest way is to take a photo with a steady hand on your smartphone, but you can also scan if you have the equipment.

If you have difficulties with this, revert to Plan A above. On a fair-weather day, riding a ferry downtown can be pleasant. In any case, NYC Ferry promises to have you hooked up within 30 days, and the dream of discount rides up and down the East River becomes true.

And don’t forget to thank Sylvan Klein for his diligence and gift of patience with bureaucratic puzzles.