New York City Ferry riders will soon have to cough up an additional 50 cents per ride and $1 per 10-trip pass come Oct. 19, when a new fare hike takes effect.

The fare for a single one-way NYC Ferry trip will increase from $4.90 to $5, while a 10-trip bundle will now cost $30 — up from $29. The ferry service, which is overseen by the quasi-governmental Economic Development Corporation (EDC), emphasized that the per-trip price of the bundle would be $3, equal to the cost of a subway or bus trip.

“These fare changes will help support the long-term sustainability of the system,” EDC President & CEO Anthony Shorris said in a statement.

The EDC has been able to keep the price so low because of a large per-ride subsidy, which has been the target of heavy criticism. As of last year, the city spent $8.33 in per-rider subsidies for the service.

NYC Ferry last increased the fare to the current rates in 2024.

The price of a reduced fare — available to riders with disabilities, seniors aged 65 and older, and recipients of the city’s Fair Fares discounted subway and bus trip program — is also going up.

For one-way rides, it will rise by 50 cents, from $1.45 to $1.50. The price of the two-day reduced fare pass will remain at $15 and become a permanent option, according to the ferry service.

However, NYC Ferry is pairing its fare hike with an offer of discounted trips to middle school students — those enrolled in grades 6 through 8 at the city’s public, private, and charter schools. As of Sept. 1, students can access reduced-cost ferry trips by creating a NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) and using the discount codes provided to purchase tickets either through the NYC Ferry app or in-person at the Wall St./Pier 11 ticketing window.

“By minimizing impacts on frequent riders and expanding access to middle school students, we are continuing to grow a ferry system that is accessible, reliable, and responsive to riders’ needs,” NYC Ferry Executive Director James Wong said in a statement.

Shorris said the fare increase is in part helping to pay for expanding discounted trips to middle school students.

The city’s high school students have already had access to the same benefit since the last fare increase in 2024. The expansion was spurred by the City Council’s passage of legislation requiring the discount be provided to all high school students, after a period during which it was first offered exclusively to students at the New York Harbor School on Governors Island.

Even with the price increase, the cost of an NYC Ferry ride is still $2.25 less than the $7.25 cost of an MTA express bus trip.