MBTA ferry
The MBTA ferry system is a public boat service providing water transportation in Boston Harbor. It is operated by Hornblower Cruises under contract to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of. The system has eight routes that terminate in downtown Boston. Year-round routes run to Hingham directly and via Hull, and to the Charlestown Navy Yard. Seasonal routes run to East Boston, Lynn, Winthrop, and Quincy ; combined Winthrop/Quincy weekend service operates as F8.
In the 19th century, numerous steamship routes ran from Boston to various destinations in the inner harbor, North Shore, and South Shore, plus routes to elsewhere in New England and to Europe. Ferry service declined in the late 19th century and 20th century due to competition from railways, streetcars, and finally automobiles; by the 1930s, only summer routes plus the East Boston ferry remained. Year round service to Hull was reintroduced in 1963, and was then the only commuter ferry service in the country. This was followed by Hingham service in 1975, tourist-oriented Charlestown service in 1979, and Quincy service in 1996 – as well as several other short-lived routes.
Most routes were either unsubsidized or state-funded; from 1986 to 2002, they gradually became subsidized by the MBTA. Service to Quincy and Hull was combined in 1998; in 2013, the Quincy terminal was replaced by Hingham. Winthrop service began in 2016, with a stop at Marina Bay in Quincy added later that year; it was taken over by the MBTA in 2023. East Boston service began in 2022. Lynn service began in 2023 after several previous iterations failed. Weekday Winthrop and Quincy service was split into separate routes in 2025.
The MBTA owns some ferries, while Hornblower owns others. The ferry system has the highest on-time performance and farebox recovery ratio of MBTA service types. However, it is only a small component of MBTA service: in 2016, the three routes then funded by the MBTA carried 5,070 passengers per weekday – about 0.4% of total MBTA ridership.
Routes
The MBTA has eight ferry routes: three year-round, and five that operate seasonally. One route has year-round weekend service, while four routes also have seasonal weekend service.| Route | Boston terminal | Outer terminal | Service span | Weekday round trips | Weekend round trips | Fare | Fare zone |
| F1 | Rowes Wharf | Hingham | Year-round | 18 | – | $9.75 | 6 |
| F2H | Long Wharf | Hingham via Logan Airport and Hull | Year-round | 19 | 14–16 | $9.75 | 6 |
| F3 | Long Wharf | East Boston | Seasonal | 22 | 18 | $2.40 | 1A |
| F4 | Long Wharf | Charlestown Navy Yard | Year-round | 39 | 17 | $3.70 | 1A |
| F5 | Long Wharf | Lynn Ferry Terminal | Seasonal | 5 | $7.00 | 2 | |
| F6 | Central Wharf | Winthrop via Fan Pier and Logan Airport | Seasonal | 10 | – | $6.50 | 1 |
| F7 | Central Wharf | Marina Bay, Quincy via Fan Pier and Logan Airport | Seasonal | 10 | – | $6.50 | 1 |
| F8 | Central Wharf | Marina Bay, Quincy via Fan Pier, Logan Airport, and Winthrop | Seasonal | – | $6.50 | 1 |
History
Charlestown
Boat service between Boston and Charlestown ended in 1786 after the completion of the Charles River Bridge. The Winnisimmet Ferry between the North End and Chelsea ran until January 1917. A privately-run service with the same name operated between Rowes Wharf and Chelsea from May 15 to September 28, 1990, during early Big Dig construction. Boston Harbor Cruises began tourist-oriented service, funded by the National Park Service, between Long Wharf and the Navy Yard in June 1979. In June 1987, this was switched to general-purpose ferry service funded by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. In October 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Public Works began a four-year reconfiguration of the interchange between the Tobin Bridge and the Charlestown High Bridge. Charlestown ferry service was then increased, with funding from the DPW via the MBTA, and increased again in 1989. In 2004, the MBTA began directly funding the service.In 2019, discussion began about replacing the aging over 30 year old Charlestown ferries with new state of the art hybrid propulsion ferries, however this never materialized. 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. F4 service was again temporarily suspended from January 23 to May 21, 2021; weekday and weekend service resumed on May 22.
East Boston
Ferry service to East Boston began in 1832. The North Ferry ended in 1938 after the 1934 opening of the Sumner Tunnel; the BRB&L ferry ended in 1940, while the South Ferry 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 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 August 2012, the Federal Highway Administration awarded $1.28 million to the city for the purchase of two boats. 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.
Lovejoy Wharf routes
Two MBTA-funded routes – the F3 Lovejoy Wharf–Boston Navy Yard and F5 Lovejoy Wharf–World Trade Center via Moakley Courthouse – began operation in 1997 during Big Dig construction. They were discontinued on January 21, 2005 due to low ridership. The F5X Lovejoy Wharf–World Trade Center express route was not funded by the MBTA and was run until February 24, 2006. A pilot of a privately funded Lovejoy Wharf–Fan Pier route, intended mostly as a private employee shuttle, began in January 2019. It is overseen by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority on behalf of private companies in the Seaport, rather than by the MBTA. The fare for public riders was substantially reduced in April 2019. An extension of the route to Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park began in August 2025.South Shore
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, and to Nantasket Beach in 1869. Service to the Hingham shipyard ended in 1898, though some service to Crow's Point lasted until 1923. Most of the Nantasket Boat Lines ferries were destroyed in a 1929 fire. The service was increasingly unprofitable to run; only summer service lasted past 1933. Hingham service ended in 1952; the last remains of Nantasket service ended in 1963. Massachusetts Bay Lines restored year-round Pemberton Point–Boston service in March 1963 – then the only commuter ferry service in the country – followed by seasonal Nantasket service in 1964. Bay State Cruises took over the route in 1980. Paragon Park closed in 1985, and Nantasket service ended again in 1992. In 1996, Bay State Cruises sold the Hull route to Boston Harbor Cruises, who obtained an MBTA subsidy.Renewed Rowes Wharf–Hingham service began with a single round trip on October 6, 1975. The service was initiated by Ed King, then director of the Massachusetts Port Authority. 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. 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 the 1990s, expanded ferry service was proposed as an alternative to the controversial return of commuter rail service on the Greenbush Line. Boston Harbor Cruises took over the Hingham–Boston service in 1997.
In 1996, Water Transportation Associates, 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. In 1998, the MBTA and BHC failed to reach a subsidy agreement. MBTA-subsidized Hull stops were added to several existing WTA Boston-Hingham trips. After the original funding ran out in 2001, the state funded service for the first half of 2002. In April 2002, the MBTA bought the WTA assets ; the WTA later won the contract to run the service. The MBTA designated the Hingham–Boston service as F1 and Quincy–Boston as F2, with trips serving Hull called F2H. Attempts in 2010 and 2011 to restore summer weekend service to Nantasket failed due to high fuel costs. 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 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.
Hornblower Cruises acquired BHC in late 2019 and rebranded it as City Cruises in 2021, with no change to MBTA ferry operations. F1 and F2H service was 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. F1 service was again temporarily suspended on January 23, 2021, with limited F2H service continuing to operate. F1 service, stops at Logan Airport, and weekend service resumed on May 22.