Image by Norbert Nagel / Wikimedia Commons
Staten Island is the only borough in New York City you can’t get to directly by subway, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to get there. Following are seven ways to get to Staten Island, and to get around once you’re here.
1. Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry moves 22 million passengers a year, and is completely free! It’s runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even more good news: it’s the most reliable form of transit in New York City, with a 96% on-time rate according to the NYC Department of Transportation. The ferry travels between Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, at 4 South Street, to St. George’s Ferry Terminal at 1 Bay Street, and takes just 25 minutes.
2. MTA S79 Select Bus Service from Brooklyn to Staten Island
Image by AEMoreira042281 / Wikimedia Commons
From the R line subway stop at 86th Street and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, you can connect to the S79 Select Bus Service to Staten Island. Select Bus Service or SBS is New York City’s version of Bus Rapid Transit, which has 75% fewer stops than the local service. This means you can get from Brooklyn to Staten Island pretty quickly.
From 86th Street, S79 makes one more stop in Brooklyn at 92 St/Ft. Hamilton Pkwy, and then heads over the Verrazano Bridge. In Staten Island, the bus makes stops down the east side of Staten Island on Hylan Boulevard before heading up Richmond Avenue to the Staten Island Mall. Select Bus Service costs the same as a regular MTA bus, but you have to prepay (or log in your transfer) using the kiosks, get your receipt, and then get on board.
3. Express Buses from Manhattan to Staten Island
There are 23 buses that run from Manhattan to Staten Island. There’s a full list and links to individual schedules on the MTA website. Some buses run express from downtown Manhattan to Staten Island, others have routes throughout Manhattan. Unlike regular MTA buses, the fare for the express bus is $6.00.
4. Verrazano Bridge from Brooklyn to Staten Island
Image by H.L.I.T. / Flickr
The Verrazano Bridge extends from Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge Brooklyn to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. When the bridge opened in 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It’s also the shortest route to get from Long Island to the mid-Atlantic states, and forms part of the interstate highway system. That convenience doesn’t come cheap–there’s a $15.00 toll ($10.66 with EZ Pass) for cars.
5–7. From New Jersey to Staten Island: Three Bridges
Image via Wikimedia Commons by Lamune
The Bayonne Bridge is the fifth-longest steel arch bridge in the world (longer than Sydney Harbor bridge), and connects the Bayonne, New Jersey peninsula to the neighborhoods of Port Richmond and Elm Park, Staten Island. The Bayonne Bridge roadway is being raised almost 75 feet to accommodate larger container ships.
The Goethals Bridge runs from Elizabeth, New Jersey to the Howland Hook Marine Terminal area. Nearby neighborhoods are Arlington, Mariners Harbor and Bloomfield. The Goethals Bridge received a $1.5 billion Public-Private Partnership for a complete redesign and rebuild just south of the existing bridge.
The Outerbridge Crossing, you may be surprised to learn, was named after Eugenius H. Outerbridge, a Staten Island resident and the first chairman of the Port Authority. It’s called a “crossing” because “Outerbridge Bridge” would have been confusing. This bridge connects southern Staten Island to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The Outerbridge and the Goethals Bridge are the two most convenient gateways to Staten Island from the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
The toll for all three bridges is $13 (or $11 peak with EZ Pass, $9 off-peak).
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