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Ferry service in Massachusetts, US

Hornblower Cruises acquired BHC in late 2019 and rebranded it as City Cruises in 2021, with no change to MBTA ferry operations. F4 service was indefinitely suspended on March 17, 2020 due to reduced ridership during the COVID 19 pandemic. On June 22, 75% of weekday service was restored, though weekend service remained suspended.

Ferry service to East Boston began in 1832. The North Ferry (Battery Street to Border Street) ended in 1938 after the 1934 opening of the Sumner Tunnel; the BRB&L ferry (Rowes Wharf to Jeffries Point) ended in 1940, while the South Ferry (Sargent's Wharf to Lewis Wharf) lasted until 1952. City run service ran from a new wharf at Lewis Street to Long Wharf from 1995 to 1997; it was discontinued due to extremely low ridership (an average of 1.3 passengers per trip) as the Blue Line provided a faster and more frequent service along the same corridor. In 2011, then mayor Thomas Menino proposed ferry service between East Boston and Fan Pier on the South Boston Waterfront, a route without current direct transit service. In September 2012, the Boston Redevelopment Authority accepted the grant and agreed to rehabilitate the East Boston Marine Terminal for the ferries, which were then expected to begin operation in 2013. In August 2014, the MBTA opened bidding for providing the two boats for East Boston service. However, the grant was less than the actual cost of two boats, and plans for the service stalled. A privately funded Lewis Wharf–Fan Pier route began operation in September 2021. Temporary Long Wharf–Lewis Wharf ferry service was run from April 25 to May 17, 2022, during a closure of the Blue Line tunnel for maintenance. A pilot program of seasonal Long Wharf–Lewis Wharf service began on September 12, 2022, with 22 round trips on weekdays and 19 on weekends. It continued in 2023 and 2024.

Ferry service between Boston and Hingham began in 1832; after the South Shore Railroad began operation in 1849, ferries served largely recreational traffic rather than commuters. Service to Hull was added in 1848 (first Allerton Harbor, later Pemberton Point), and to Nantasket Beach in 1869. Service was run by several operators, sometimes with state funding, most of the next eight years. In March 1983, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Services began eleven subsidized round trips (reduced to eight that June). The state began subsidizing eight additional round trips by Boston Harbor Commuter Services in 1984 during Southeast Expressway reconstruction. The MBTA began subsidizing service in 1986; after 1991, only Boston Harbor Commuter Services received a subsidy. In 1996, Water Transportation Associates (WTA), doing business as Harbor Express, began service between Fore River Shipyard in Quincy and Long Wharf via Logan Airport. Two ferries and five years of operations were funded by then shipyard owner General Dynamics. Quincy–Logan service began on November 18, 1996, with Long Wharf service added several weeks later. On July 1, 2013, BHC took over Hingham services from WTA. Quincy service was temporarily discontinued on October 14, 2013, with boats redirected to Hingham, when a water main break added to existing structural problems with the sea wall at the Quincy wharf. In January 2014, the MBTA made the closure (and increased Hingham service) permanent after it was determined that repairs would cost $15 million for five years of additional service, or $50 million for 50 years. The damage also forced the closure of the USS Salem museum. Quincy proposed Squantum Point as an alternative terminal to maintain ferry service to the city. In July 2014, a neighboring shipyard purchased the Quincy site from the MBTA. Weekend summer service on the F2H route, last operated in 1998 and 1999, was introduced on May 24, 2014. The Hingham Intermodal Center was opened in January 2017, providing a larger waiting area and ticketing facilities. On January 2, 2018, ferry service to Hingham was indefinitely suspended due to ice damage to the dock during severe cold the previous week. Service resumed on January 15 after repairs to the dock. Squantum service was added to the Winthrop route in August 2016. F1 service was again temporarily suspended on January 23, 2021, with limited F2H service continuing to operate. It was operated by WTA during the summers of 2006 to 2011; BHC took over the service without subsidy in 2012. The MBTA stopped subsidizing the service around 2020, and MBTA passes stopped being accepted in 2023. Winthrop service, run by BHC under a three year state grant, began on August 2, 2010 and lasted until 2012. A local charter operator ran some unsubsidized service in 2013. The MBTA took over operations of the Winthrop Ferry in July 2023. The lease agreement was for two years with up to three years of extensions. The Lynn Ferry formerly operated from Lynn Ferry Terminal to Central Wharf. Service began on May 19, 2014 with three weekday round trips, as a two year pilot program funded by the state. Fares were $3.50; MBTA Commuter Rail passes from Zone 2 or above were accepted for fares. Although the state spent $8.5 million on the terminal and $4.5 million in federal funds was secured for a larger ferry, the service was not run in summer 2016 due to lack of $700,000 in operations funding. Service resumed for June–September 2017 with funding from MassDOT, with one daily round trip timed for commuting. Fares were doubled to $7, and MBTA passes were not accepted. Due to low ridership in 2017 – just 30 daily passengers – the service was not resumed in 2018. In May 2023, the MBTA indicated plans to resume service midyear. The Lynn Ferry resumed on June 26, 2023 as an MBTA service, intended as mitigation for a temporary closure of the Sumner Tunnel. Ten round trips were operated on weekdays, with fares temporarily equal to subway fares during the tunnel closure. Service resumed on April 29, 2024, with weekend service added.

All MBTA funded services are operated by Hornblower Cruises (branded as City Cruises) under contract to the MBTA. Until 2017, the MBTA owned two ferries, the Lightning and the Flying Cloud, both built in 1996. They were largely replaced by the new catamarans Champion (named for Champion of the Seas) in October 2017, and Glory (after Glory of the Seas) in May 2018. The MBTA owned ferries are used for the F2H route, while Hornblower owned ferries are used for the F1 and F4 routes. The MBTA leases the Winthrop ferry boat from the town. In 2012, facing a substantial budget gap, the MBTA proposed substantial service cuts and fare increases. All ferry routes were to be cut, resulting in $3.7 million savings for the agency. Temporary measures were found to avoid some service cuts including the ferries; however, weekend Quincy service was eliminated and fares raised 35% in an attempt to eliminate the subsidy required. State lawmakers also then proposed that Massport take over the ferries from the MBTA. By 2014, farebox recovery increased to 62%. In 2018, the MBTA bid operation of all three routes in a single contract; BHC was the only bidder despite the MBTA's attempts to find a competitor. The cost was originally $17.2 million for the first year with annual increases (with the MBTA keeping all fare revenue); the MBTA negotiated the cost down to $13.6 million.