Earlier this year, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and New York State Assemblymember Sean Ryan made an announcement that the Queen City Bike Ferry was quickly reaching capacity, and there was a need for either an additional ferry or a larger ferry. This past summer, I opted to not take the ferry a couple of times due to wait times (early in the season).
Last week I finally got an opportunity to cross on my bike, which was the first time that I actually ever got a chance to utilize the service. Thankfully, I happened to catch them at an off-hour, but I was told that this year’s usage has far surpassed 2015.
No one ever expected that a bike-ped ferry from the Inner to the Outer Harbor would be so successful.
At $1 a ride ($2 round trip), this service has been a huge hit. In order to accommodate the growing number of users, a new boat is now heading from Florida to Buffalo to help ease the ferry traffic.
It turns out that the new Harbor Queen will be used for tours along the Buffalo River (Buffalo River History Tours), which would free up one of their currently operating flat-decked boats to transition to ferry operation.
Buffalo River History Tours commissioned to have the Harbor Queen built. The 145 person craft is scheduled to make its first appearance in Buffalo this Friday. It’s inaugural cocktail cruise will be held the following Friday, August 19.
Passengers will be treated to a plenty of space, live music and a cash bar. The boat will be used for history tours, cocktail cruises and private charters. The Harbor Queen will be docked at Canalside just outside the mouth of the Erie Canal Terminus.
Harbor Queen photos: Buffalo History Tours