After almost 20 years of shuttling ferry commuters between New York and Monmouth County, NY Waterway lost a contract to operate the service to rival Seastreak LLC, which provides ferry service between the Highlands area and New York.
The Monmouth County Board of Commissioners awarded a contract on June 21 to operate the service from the county-owned Belford ferry terminal in Middletown, citing a technical deficiency with NY Waterway’s bid.
Surprised commuters learned the news when they were handed letters from NY Waterway on Wednesday, announcing the change.
“We’re stunned, and so are the riders we’ve served these past 20 years,” Armand Pohan, NY Waterway CEO and president, said in a statement. “Our bid offered the most frequent service and the lowest ticket prices, yet it was thrown out based on a technicality in which the county didn’t follow its own rules. That’s a bad deal for riders in Monmouth County, and we intend to fight it.”
NY Waterway’s bid was rejected because of missing a document providing proof that the company was financially able to provide the service.
“After initial review of the proposals, the county found that NY Waterway’s bid was non-compliant because it failed to submit a Consent of Surety, a mandatory bid item, with its bid proposal,” said Thomas A. Arnone, Monmouth County Commissioner Director. “The bid proposal from Seastreak was found to be compliant with all bid requirements and specifications. The county notified NY Waterway regarding the non-compliance and rejection of its bid.”
Under the two-year contract, Seastreak would take over the Belford service in October 2022 and the county has two, one-year options to renew it.
But at the County Commissioners’ June 21 work meeting, prior to the regular board meeting, Pohan said more than three months went by between submission of the bid and notification that the Consent of Surety was missing. A ferry company attorney said it was suppled 24 hours after the notification.
Pohan asked the board why the substance of the contract between the two companies wasn’t compared. NY Waterway’s fares were cheaper (at $21.50) than the $28 fare he said Seastreak proposed, and that NY Waterway offered more morning and evening trips.
Seastreak officials said commuters would get more value and flexibility for their fares because Belford service would be linked with the company’s other ferry routes.
“We plan to connect Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Belford, either by a boat or bus, so you could get on a Seastreak ferry anywhere and get back to your car at the end of the night,” said James D. Barker, Seastreak marketing and communications vice president.
Another advantage is “our boats are a little faster and will cut the trip time by 10 minutes and carry 100 passengers more,” he said.
But Pohan asked the board if it was in the best interest of commuters to have one company provide all the ferry service in the county.
“They’ll have a Monmouth-opoly. They’ll have complete control with no competition,’ he told the county commissioners. “You commuters will suffer.”
However, a county attorney told the board there was “no legal impediment” to voting on the contract.
“I think it’s great for commuters, it adds flexibility to the ferry by combining services,” Barker said.
The vote could be the final chapter in a rivalry for the prestigious Belford to New York ferry service that was a preferred commute by executives and Wall Streeters to the longer train and bus trip that required use of several modes of transportation.
That competition reached new heights when both companies built larger, luxurious commuter ferries for their Monmouth County to New York service in the last six years.
NY Waterway had the 400-seat Betsy Ross and the Molly Pitcher ferries built in New Jersey in 2015 for Belford service, the first ferries built jn the state in a century. They travel at 33 mph — faster than other NY Waterway ferries.
Seastreak countered in June 2018 with construction of the 600-seat Commodore and a sister ship, the Courageous, launched in December 2021. Both have top speeds of 44 mph.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
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