National Ferry Database Survey

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA–21) (P.L. 105-178), section 1207(c) [see Attachment I], directed the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and its possessions. In 2000, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Intermodal and Statewide Planning conducted a survey (OMB Approval Number 2125-0584) of approximately 250 ferry operators to identify: (1) existing ferry operations including the location and routes served; (2) source and amount, if any, of funds derived from Federal, State, or local governments supporting ferry construction or operations; (3) potential domestic ferry routes in the United States and its possessions and to develop information on those routes; and (4) potential for use of high speed ferry services and alternative-fueled ferry services. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Public Law 109-59, Section 1801(e) [see Attachment II] requires that the Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), shall establish and maintain (biennially) a national ferry database containing current information regarding routes, vessels, passengers and vehicles carried, funding sources and such other information as the Secretary considers useful. Recently enacted FAST Act [Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (P.L. 114-94, Sec. 1112) - see Attachment IV], continues the BTS mandate to conduct the National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO) and requires that the FHWA use the NCFO data as input to the specific formula for allocating federal ferry funds ($80 million for 62016 through 2020). The funding allocations are based on a percentage of the number of passenger boardings, vehicle boardings, and route miles served.

The latest form for National Ferry Database Survey expires 2022-09-30 and can be found here.