The Staten Island Ferry asks one thing of your group: show up. No ticket, no fare, no reservation — just walk on, cross 5.2 miles of Upper New York Bay in 25 minutes, and watch the Lower Manhattan skyline grow larger as the Statue of Liberty slides past. That part is genuinely simple.
The part that catches groups off guard is getting 20, 30, or 50 people to 1 Bay Street at the corner of Richmond Terrace and Bay Street in St. George — all at the same moment, not trickling in from separate parking spots across five different side streets over twenty minutes. A Staten Island charter bus or party bus rental solves that problem in one move: one pickup at your hotel, home, or gathering point; one drop at the terminal's Kiss & Ride on Richmond Terrace; and your whole group walks to the boat together. The ferry crossing is free.
The bus is how you start it right.
This guide covers every logistical detail a group planner needs before the trip: where the bus drops off at the terminal, how the Kiss & Ride facility on Richmond Terrace works, which ferry windows work best for large groups, what the 25-minute crossing looks like from the deck, and what's waiting at Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan when the boat docks. Whether your group is a visiting tour party staging on the North Shore, a corporate outing from the interior of the island, a wedding party crossing to a Manhattan venue, or a school group making the trip for the first time — the logistics are the same and they're worth knowing before you go. For the full picture of group transportation across the borough, see the Staten Island group transportation services page.
Why Rent a Party Bus or Charter Bus to St. George Ferry Terminal?
The ferry is free in both directions, which means the bus rental is your only real transportation cost for the crossing leg of the trip. That changes the per-person math fast. Split a 25-passenger party bus across 25 people heading to Richmond Terrace, and the cost per head is often comparable to — or less than — what each person would spend in gas and parking at the DOT lots.
But that math doesn't capture the coordination cost: getting 25 people to converge on the corner of Richmond Terrace and Bay Street at the exact same time, from different directions, without losing two people in the parking lot and missing the boat everyone planned on catching. On a busy Saturday morning in July, that's harder than it sounds.
A Staten Island party bus rental for the ferry run also tends to be one of the shorter bookings on the calendar — a two-hour block covers a round-trip for most groups, which keeps the total cost low and the per-person number manageable. More than that, the ferry experience begins when the group is together. When everyone rides to the terminal in one vehicle, boards the same boat, and crosses as a unit, it's a completely different day than seven separate carpool arrivals trickling to the loading ramp in three-minute intervals while one car circles the DOT lot looking for a space.
Call 929-384-1505 any time or use Partybusrentalstatenisland.com's online quote tool — pricing in under 30 seconds — to see what a bus to St. George Terminal costs for your specific date and headcount.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at St. George Ferry Terminal
The St. George Ferry Terminal (1 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY 10301) sits at the foot of Richmond Terrace, where the street curves around toward Bay Street at the waterfront. For private buses and vehicles dropping off passengers, the designated facility is the Kiss & Ride at the upper South Lobby of the terminal. To reach it, buses come along Richmond Terrace and take the bus ramp — using the outermost right lane — up to the elevated level, where curbside drop-off and pickup happens at the South Lobby.
From there, your group rides the elevator or escalator down to the main concourse level and walks directly toward the ferry boarding area. When dropping off, pull to the right and keep traffic moving — the ramp is shared with other vehicles and the flow matters.
The terminal is also a full transit hub: it connects to the Staten Island Railway (SIR), which runs 24 hours daily between St. George and Tottenville, and serves more than a dozen MTA bus routes (S40, S42, S44, S46, S48, S51, S52, S61, S62, S66, S74, S76, S78). If part of your group arrives separately by transit, the Kiss & Ride upper South Lobby is the clean meeting point — your private bus drops the main group there, and transit riders meet them on the main concourse. The official Staten Island Ferry terminals page has current information on terminal facilities and amenities, including the free WiFi and ADA-accessible escalators and elevators throughout the building.
The drop-off sequence at St. George Ferry Terminal for a charter bus or party bus: Approach on Richmond Terrace → take the bus ramp in the outermost right lane → pull to the upper South Lobby Kiss & Ride → group disembarks → elevator or escalator to the main concourse → walk to ferry loading area. No parking lot sprint, no hunting for the group — everyone arrives together and boards together.
St. George Ferry Terminal Parking — and Why One Party Bus Changes the Math
Two NYC DOT municipal lots operate at or near the terminal. The Ferry Terminal South Municipal Parking Field at 1 Bay Street has 222 spaces (9 accessible) — an unattended, metered Pay and Display facility, open 24 hours, seven days a week, accepting quarters, dollar coins, NYC Parking Cards, and credit cards at 25¢ per 15 minutes, capping at $8 per 18 hours. The second option, the lot at 54 Central Avenue (Staten Island Courthouse Garage), offers 721 spaces (37 accessible, 3 EV charging stations) at up to $8 per day, or $70 per month for permit holders.
Both lots are within a few minutes' walk of the terminal entrance.
The 1 Bay Street lot has 222 spaces — a count that fills faster than most first-timers expect on summer Saturday mornings when tourist traffic and commuter demand overlap. A group of 30 people arriving in seven or eight cars needs seven or eight of those 222 spots available at the same time, pays up to $8 per car (up to $64 in parking), and still has to get eight cars full of people to synchronize their timing so nobody misses the ferry everyone agreed on catching. One Staten Island charter bus rental to St. George Terminal bypasses the whole scenario: the bus drops everyone at the Richmond Terrace Kiss & Ride, the group boards the next boat together, and there's no lot competition, no split arrival, and no parking cost per person.
Staten Island Ferry Schedule — Best Windows for a Large Group
The Staten Island Ferry runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year — no tickets, no reservations, no boarding pass. During weekday rush hours (Monday through Friday, approximately 6:00 AM–9:30 AM and 3:30 PM–8:00 PM), boats depart every 15 to 20 minutes from both terminals. Outside those windows on weekdays — and on all weekends — service drops to every 30 minutes.
On federal holidays (New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), the ferry runs every 30 minutes throughout the day, with departures on the hour and the half-hour from each terminal.
For large groups, the single most useful scheduling fact is this: the Staten Island Ferry's official site notes directly that "during rush hour trips the boats are packed with commuters" and recommends those windows not be chosen for leisurely rides or large tourist groups. The two best time slots for a group are 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM on weekdays — after the morning commuter push clears and before lunchtime picks up — and after 7:00 PM on any day, when volume drops and in summer months the evening light over the harbor is its own reward. Weekend service at every 30 minutes is predictable and manageable, though summer Saturday and Sunday mornings also bring significant tourist volume to the terminal.
The practical planning point: if your bus drops the group at the Richmond Terrace Kiss & Ride by 10:20 AM on a Wednesday, the next ferry departs within 30 minutes and the concourse is calm. Time the drop at 4:45 PM on a Thursday, and you're walking into the teeth of the evening commute push. Check the official schedule the week of your trip — all times are subject to change without notice, and holiday schedules shift the standard frequency.
A few minutes of schedule-checking before you set your bus pickup time keeps nobody standing on the concourse longer than they planned.
The 25-Minute Crossing — What Your Group Sees
The route covers 5.2 miles across the Upper New York Bay, and the boats complete it in approximately 25 minutes in both directions. The Staten Island Ferry fleet includes the Newhouse-class boats (including the Andrew J. Barberi), which carry up to 6,000 passengers, and the Molinari-class boats, which carry up to 4,400 passengers — these are large, multi-deck vessels with open outer decks, enclosed climate-controlled cabin seating, and food concession areas onboard. The newest additions to the fleet — the Dorothy Day, Sandy Ground, and Staff Sgt.
Michael Ollis — joined the fleet in 2021 and carry up to 4,500 passengers each. The ferry carries roughly 70,000 passengers per day, making it the busiest ferry route in the United States.
One fact worth knowing before you board: no vehicles have been permitted on the Staten Island Ferry since 2003, following the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The ferry is a passenger-only service. Your party bus or charter bus drops the group at the terminal and stages on the Staten Island side — the group boards on foot, crosses in 25 minutes, and the bus is ready at the Kiss & Ride when everyone returns.
This is not a car-on-ferry route; it's a walking-on, walking-off crossing, which is exactly why the bus drop is the key logistics moment.
For Statue of Liberty views, positioning on the boat matters. When departing from Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan heading back to Staten Island, the right (starboard) side of the boat faces Liberty Island most directly — that's the standard advice, and it's accurate. On the Staten Island-to-Manhattan leg departing St. George, the left (port) side aligns better toward Liberty Island as the route heads northeast across the bay.
Either way, the view of the Lower Manhattan skyline rising off the water as the boat approaches Whitehall is the moment the crossing earns its reputation — the Financial District towers, the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, and harbor traffic in every direction. Pass the positioning tip to your group before boarding; the deck fills up on the side with the view.
Whitehall Terminal, Manhattan — Where Your Group Lands
Whitehall Terminal (4 South Street, New York, NY 10004) is the Manhattan end of the crossing, at the corner of South Street and Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan. The terminal building itself is substantial — a 75-foot glass-facade entry hall, a 19,000-square-foot waiting room, retail concessions, free WiFi, and direct walking connections to the Manhattan subway grid right outside. Groups that walk off the boat at Whitehall have the 4 and 5 trains at Bowling Green station (steps from the terminal exit at Peter Minuit Plaza) and the 1, N, R, and W trains at South Ferry/Whitehall Street station (less than a minute's walk).
Bus routes M5, M15, M15 SBS, and M20 also serve the plaza directly outside the terminal doors.
Battery Park, Bowling Green Park, Bowling Green station, Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the heart of the Financial District are all within a 10-minute walk. Groups treating the ferry as a free alternative to driving into Manhattan — avoiding the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toll, congestion pricing, and the fight for a Manhattan parking spot — land directly in the most historically dense part of the city with full subway access to the rest. Groups heading to Midtown from Whitehall can take the 1 train from South Ferry to Times Square in roughly 25 minutes, or the 4/5 from Bowling Green to Grand Central in about 15.
The ferry deposits the whole group in one place, together, with the entire city in reach.
Choosing the Right Charter Bus or Party Bus for Your St. George Ferry Run
The right vehicle for a St. George ferry run comes down to two things: headcount and where everyone is starting from. Because the bus brings the group to the terminal — not across the water — the booking is typically structured as a short round-trip block or an hourly arrangement: pickup at your hotel, home, or event space; drop at the Kiss & Ride on Richmond Terrace; staged return pickup after the group crosses back. Here is how the vehicle lineup maps to the ferry run.
| Vehicle | Capacity | Best For | Key Amenities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter Van / 14-Passenger Sprinter Limo | Up to 14 | Small groups, corporate VIP runs, wedding parties, executive transfers to the terminal | Premium leather, USB charging at every seat, tinted privacy windows, individual reading lights |
| Party Bus (15–50 passengers) | ~15–50 | Birthday groups, bachelorette parties, tourist groups wanting the full celebration on the ride to the terminal | Color-changing LED lighting, premium Bluetooth sound, flat-panel TVs, perimeter seating, built-in bar |
| 15–35 Passenger Minibus | ~15–35 | Mid-size groups, corporate shuttles, school groups, wedding guest shuttles, neighborhood pickups | Powerful A/C, plush reclining seats, overhead storage, greater maneuverability on the Richmond Terrace bus ramp |
| 40–56 Passenger Charter Bus | Up to 56 | Large tour groups, company outings, multi-stop pickup runs across Staten Island neighborhoods | Reclining seats, climate control, overhead storage, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restrooms, undercarriage bays for luggage |
A minibus is often the sharpest fit for the Richmond Terrace run — the terminal's elevated bus ramp rewards vehicles with a tighter profile, and a 20- to 35-passenger minibus covers most group sizes without the footprint of a full coach. For groups over 40 staging from multiple pickup points across the island, a full charter bus with undercarriage bays handles bags, luggage, and the multi-stop pickup without crowding the main group. ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network serving Staten Island; note your needs in the quote request and a support team will sort out the right vehicle.
Party Bus & Charter Bus Rental Prices for the St. George Ferry Run
A ferry run is one of the shorter bus bookings on the Staten Island calendar. A typical arrangement covers the pickup at your hotel or gathering spot, the drop at the Richmond Terrace Kiss & Ride, and a return pickup after the crossing back — often two to three hours total. To give you an idea of what that looks like: a 15–35 passenger minibus from the network of bus companies serving Staten Island runs roughly $200–$250 per hour on weekdays and $200–$275 per hour on weekends.
A 25-passenger party bus runs roughly $250–$350 per hour on weekdays, $275–$375 per hour on weekends. For a group of 25 splitting a two-hour weekend party bus booking at $275–$375 per hour, the per-person total works out to roughly $22–$30 each — less than a round-trip rideshare for many Staten Island groups, with everyone riding together instead of splitting across separate cars.
The real rate for your specific date, vehicle, and itinerary moves with demand and timing, so those figures are planning ranges to help you budget — not a guarantee. The fastest way to get a quote is Partybusrentalstatenisland.com's online quote tool (no account required, pricing in under 30 seconds) or a quick call to 929-384-1505 any time. Check the Staten Island party bus prices page for a fuller breakdown of what shapes the rate.
Tips for Your Group's Ferry Day at St. George Terminal
- Time the bus pickup around the ferry, not the other way around. The ferry doesn't hold boats, and with 30-minute service off-peak, missing a departure means a 30-minute wait on the concourse. Build your bus pickup time so the group reaches the Kiss & Ride 15–20 minutes before your target ferry window — not right on the dot.
- Avoid weekday rush hours. The 6:00–9:30 AM and 3:30–8:00 PM windows are peak commuter periods. Boats run more frequently (every 15–20 minutes) but fill fast, and large groups boarding a standing-room rush-hour ferry doesn't make for the harbor experience anyone planned. Aim for 10:00–11:30 AM or after 7:00 PM for a much calmer crossing.
- Positioning on the boat matters. When heading from St. George to Whitehall, the left (port) side of the ferry aligns better toward Liberty Island as the boat crosses the bay. When returning from Whitehall to St. George, the right (starboard) side gives the better Statue of Liberty sightline. Pass this along before boarding — the deck fills toward the view.
- No vehicles on the ferry. Vehicles have not been permitted on the Staten Island Ferry since 2003. Your bus drops the group at the terminal and the group walks on. Arrange the return pickup time before anyone boards — the bus is staged and ready when the group crosses back to St. George.
- No ticket, no reservation, no fare. The Staten Island Ferry is completely free in both directions. Your group walks through the terminal and boards the next available boat. During peak summer season, boats can begin boarding quickly — follow the terminal staff's instructions.
- Empire Outlets is right at the terminal. Empire Outlets (55 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301) — New York City's only outlet shopping destination, 100 stores including Shake Shack and the Empire Beer Garden, open 10 AM to 8 PM daily — sits literally adjacent to the terminal entrance. If your group has time before boarding or after crossing back, it's a zero-transportation stop with direct waterfront views of Manhattan.
- Check the official schedule the week of your trip. The Staten Island Ferry schedule page posts the current timetable and notes that all schedules are subject to change without notice — particularly on holidays, when the standard frequency shifts to every 30 minutes throughout the day. Two minutes of schedule-checking before you finalize your bus pickup time prevents an unnecessary wait on the concourse.
Frequently Asked Questions About Renting a Bus to St. George Ferry Terminal
Where does a charter bus or party bus drop off at St. George Ferry Terminal?
Private buses use the bus ramp off Richmond Terrace — taking the outermost right lane — to reach the upper South Lobby Kiss & Ride, which is the designated curbside drop-off and pickup area for private vehicles. From there, the group uses the elevator or escalator to reach the main concourse level and walks to the ferry loading area. For current terminal access details, the official Getting There page at siferry.com and NYC DOT's 311 line handle real-time logistics questions.
Does the group need ferry tickets?
No. The Staten Island Ferry is completely free in both directions, with no ticketing system. Your group walks through the terminal and boards the next available boat. There's no fare, no ticket counter, and no reservation process.
The bus rental is your only transportation cost for the crossing leg of the trip.
How often does the Staten Island Ferry run?
During weekday rush hours (roughly 6:00–9:30 AM and 3:30–8:00 PM), boats depart every 15 to 20 minutes. All other times — off-peak weekdays, full weekends, and holidays — boats run every 30 minutes. The ferry operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Check the official schedule page for the most current timetable; holiday frequencies can vary.
Can the bus cross on the Staten Island Ferry?
No. Vehicles have not been permitted on the Staten Island Ferry since 2003, following the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The ferry carries passengers only. Your charter bus or party bus drops the group at the Kiss & Ride, the group boards on foot and crosses in 25 minutes, and the bus picks them up at St. George when they return.
There is no vehicle ferry service on this route.
How long is the crossing?
The Staten Island Ferry crossing takes approximately 25 minutes in both directions, covering 5.2 miles across the Upper New York Bay between St. George Terminal in Staten Island and Whitehall Terminal at 4 South Street in Lower Manhattan.
What subway lines are at Whitehall Terminal when the group arrives in Manhattan?
The 1, N, R, and W trains serve South Ferry/Whitehall Street station, which is less than a minute's walk from the terminal exit. The 4 and 5 trains stop at Bowling Green station at Peter Minuit Plaza, steps from the terminal doors. Bus routes M5, M15, M15 SBS, and M20 also serve the plaza directly outside.
From Bowling Green, the 4/5 to Grand Central is about 15 minutes; from South Ferry, the 1 train to Times Square is roughly 25 minutes.
What's the best time to ride for a large group?
The two best windows are 10:00–11:30 AM on weekdays, after the morning commuter rush clears, and after 7:00 PM on any day, when volume drops and in summer the light over the harbor is exceptional. Avoid weekday rush hours (6:00–9:30 AM and 3:30–8:00 PM) — the boats run more frequently but they fill with commuters, and a large group boarding a standing-room rush-hour ferry is not the experience anyone planned.
Is there parking at St. George Ferry Terminal?
Two NYC DOT municipal lots serve the terminal. The 1 Bay Street lot (Ferry Terminal South) has 222 spaces at 25¢ per 15 minutes, up to $8 per 18 hours — Pay and Display, open 24 hours. The 54 Central Avenue lot has 721 spaces at up to $8 per day or $70 monthly.
Both fill on busy summer weekend mornings and during events at nearby venues. A single bus rental sidesteps the parking competition entirely — the whole group arrives together, and there's no lot scramble.
How far in advance should we book a bus for the ferry run?
For most dates, two to three weeks of lead time is workable for the bus network serving Staten Island. Summer weekends (July through August), holiday weekends, and dates that align with events at nearby venues like SIUH Community Park see higher demand across the borough — for those, four to six weeks out keeps your options open. Call 929-384-1505 any time to check availability for your date, or use Partybusrentalstatenisland.com's online tool for pricing in under 30 seconds with no account required.
What is Partybusrentalstatenisland.com, and does it own the buses?
Partybusrentalstatenisland.com is a website — not a bus company. It compares quotes and connects groups with bus companies serving Staten Island and the surrounding region. You fill out one quick online form or call 929-384-1505, see pricing and vehicle options from a large network of bus companies, and find what fits your group's size, date, and budget.
No account required, no obligation, and pricing appears in under 30 seconds online.
