Good news for St. Johns River Ferry users: an extra couple of hours of service

Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
The Jean Ribault carries motorists across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. The St. Johns River Ferry has extended its service hours.
The Jean Ribault carries motorists across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. The St. Johns River Ferry has extended its service hours.

As of Wednesday the St. Johns River Ferry will run two extra hours to help motorists cross between Mayport Village and Fort George Island at Florida A1A, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced.

The extended hours will be funded in part by a Florida Department of Transportation grant. The Jean Ribault ferryboat will operate 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. for an extra two hours during the week and one hour on weekends.

Commuters and travelers rely on the five-minute trip to spare them a 24-mile detour. Weekday fares range from $1 for a pedestrian or bicyclist to $7 and $14 for cars and trucks and a dollar or two more on weekends. Ticket books also can be purchased at ferry.jtafla.com.

“The JTA team works hard to include customer feedback in its initiatives, and we look forward to continuing to serve the community by giving commuters more chances to take advantage of the ferry service,” JTA board chairwoman Debbie Buckland said.

The Transporation Authority also noted a rise in users. Fixed route ridership, which includes the First Coast Flyer Bus Rapid Transit service, increased 12.6% year over year. ReadiRide, the on-call transportation service that operates in 14 Jacksonville neighborhoods, saw a 21% increase this year. The Connexion and Connexion Plus paratransit services also increased ridership by 20%.

Vintage Photos: The Mayport Ferry through the years

“There is no question that this has been a successful year for JTA,” CEO Nathaniel Ford Sr. said. “We strive to provide the Northeast Florida community with multimodal services for any of their needs, and our ridership increases across all service modes is a testament to our successes.”

In addition, the agency's MyRide2School program provides free rides to public middle and high school students in Duval County. Students can now use the service any day of the week.

The Jacksonville Transporation Authority also became the first transit agency in the country to provide CashApp as a payment method aboard any of its services. Since its release, there have been nearly 5,000 transactions, providing patrons with more flexibility in purchasing JTA passes.

The ferry also undergoes regular maintenance including a $7.2 million upgrade last year that included a new restroom and picnic pavilion at the ferry's Mayport dock on Ocean Street.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns River Ferry in Jacksonville extends hours