The weekend discounted ferry service between Jersey City and lower Manhattan will continue through 2014

Great news Jersey City residents, due to the diligent hard work of people like downtown councilwoman Candice Osborne, the Jersey City to NYC ferry service operating at the $2.50 discounted price WILL continue through the end of the year because of the great response by we the people:

"I had no doubts this pilot would be successful and I am thrilled it will continue during the shutdown," Osborne told The Jersey Journal. "It is good for our residents, our small businesses and our city overall."

Terrence T. McDonald with the Jersey Journal has more on the evolution of the decision to keep the ferry running at a discounted price of $2.50:

The service had been operating on a six week pilot program that ends this weekend, but it provided enormously popular, with thousands of passengers taking advantage of it for the past five weekends. Over 4,000 riders used it during the cold, rainy weekend that it debuted, and ridership has only increased as temperatures have risen.

Candice Osborne has turned out to be a real force for good in our fair city. We're also glad to see the citizens take advantage of a great program. It's a win-win situation!

In praise of Candice Osborne

No, not for her capitulation and then really awful comments on why the city should save the red-light cameras, but for the work she has done and is doing to help Jersey City get across the damned Hudson River on weekends, Port Authority be damned. Osborne as you have read in this space has been trying to get reduced prices on ferry rides across the Hudson to the WFC and has succeeded. She sent out this email and since it is important and it IS time for you citizen, if you've been complaining, to get on a ferry and go, we're going to reprint it:

Take the ferry to WFC this weekend - and next!

Pilot program offering ferry tickets from Paulus Hook to WFC for only $2.50 each way

The PATH isn't running to World Financial Center on weekends, but the Port Authority has teamed up with NY Waterway to help out. NY Waterway is now offering discounted ferry tickets on weekends only, as part of a 6 week trial program.

Use-it-or-lose-it

We’ve all been asking for it, now let’s use it! If we don’t get the word out and actually use this service, it will most likely not continue. Please spread the word to everyone you know who may need this service.

Let's show them how important this service is to us!

Help get the word out

Share this message with all your Jersey City friends!

Don't forget, the light rail in Jersey City is still cross-honoring PATH tickets on weekends. And I will continue to work on more measures to help during the PATH to WFC shutdown this year. 

Great work on this councilwoman. As someone with very strong opinions Johnny knows we're not always going to agree. In this case you have gone above and beyond serving your constituents and the city. If you'd like more info from Councilwoman Osborne just click here.

You can't beat free and that's just what NJ owned commuter ferries hitting Jersey City and Weehawken are

Free ferry service, the best kind short of a ferry with a cash bar, will begin running from Liberty State Park in Jersey City to lower Manhattan and from Weehawken headed to Pier 79 at West 39th St. in midtown. Thank you state of New Jersey. What a great area to live in. You can show up, get a free ferry ride to New York City, drink a cup of Good Morning America after baiting your hook and fishing your way across the Hudson. Bully!

The ferries will operate weekdays between 6 and 10 a.m. for riders headed into New York, and from 4 to 8 p.m. for riders headed back across the Hudson River.