Staten Island Ferry Service Disrupted After ‘Vast Majority’ of Scheduled Workers Call Out Sick

Service on New York City’s Staten Island Ferry was greatly reduced on Friday morning due to a mass sickout by workers.

Service on the ferry, which travels between the island to Lower Manhattan, was reduced to once an hour from St. George and on the half-hour out of Whitehall, according to the New York City Department of Transportation.

The ferry normally runs every 15 minutes during rush hour.

The sick calls started on Thursday and affected service in the afternoon and continued into Friday.

City officials warned that non-essential travel was not advised on the ferry due to manpower issues.

The ferry service blamed sick calls for the issue: “Service disruptions are a result of the vast majority of employees scheduled to operate the Staten Island Ferry calling out sick. Updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.”

The ferry provided free service seven days a week, year-round. The trip takes about 25 minutes.

The ferry carries over 12 million passengers a year, according to its website.

On a typical weekday, five boats make 117 trips, carrying approximately 35,000 passengers.