Ferry Service Could Become Victim Of DRPA Budget Cuts

December 15, 2010 5:22 AM

The Riverlink Ferry shuttles visitors between the Camden Waterfront and Penn’s Landing.

Reporting David Madden

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – This is, in effect, D-day for the DRPA. Commissioners of the Delaware River Port Authority must approve their annual budget today, which could include some serious cuts and maybe, just maybe, a break for commuters.
The agency’s been flirting for weeks now with the idea of putting off increasing the price to ride their four bridges and PATCO. Today is the deadline to act on the rail side. Otherwise, those fares go up an average 10% come January 1st. The dollar toll increase on the bridges is scheduled in July and commissioners are looking to cut wherever they can.
The latest idea: get rid of the ferry that runs between Penn’s Landing and Camden’s waterfront. That’s a bad idea, according to Tom Corcoran who heads the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation.
Corcoran says, “The ferry really has been one of the unifying themes that have tied the two waterfronts together for the last 20 years and it would be a tremendous loss if that service were to discontinue.”
But profits are small and short term capital needs to top $700 thousand.
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio

Ferry Service Could Become Victim Of DRPA Budget Cuts

jojo

they need to cut their overbloated salaries of the ceo and senior staff…let’s start with that as well
RAY

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE TRAM THE THE STREET ADMINISTRATION PROPOSED? WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA, JUST ANOTHER FAILURE.
the voice of reason

Has anyone considered how mush they make per day on those bridge tolls? How mush money do they need? This constant increase in prices with no increase in services is thievery at its best. Crooks, all of them.
Stephanie Patterson

It figures – if it has anything to do with Philadelphia or Camden, let’s either eliminate it or fail to maintain it properly. Cut the ferry, and both sides will lose. Visitors to Philadelphia take the ferry to the CAMDEN Aquarium or to baseball or concerts. And how many people who do not have cars use that ferry for real transportation? This budget cut will have a ripple effect, with jobs lost and decreased revenues. If you want to cut something, cut out the management perks and big bonuses!
Alec

who cares, the ferry stinks.
jake

that is so stupid. It is the easiest way to get to concerts instead of going over that stupid bridge. It will hurt nj more because I think it will be tougher to get to the concerts