Talk:MBTA ferry

Are boats integrated into the MBTA fare system?

Are those boats integrated into the MBTA fare system (i.e. same fare as a bus/subway, may be used with Charlie Card) or do they charge a premium for the view?--Soylentyellow 13:01, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Sort of. I'll try and answer in article. -- Chris j wood (talk) 08:50, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

To answer my own question nearly a year later: Yes, at least the F2 from Long Wharf (near Aquarium) to Quincy was free with the Charlie Card, i.e. integrated into the MBTA fare system. --Soylentyellow (talk) 18:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Article title

On April 10, Dream out loud renamed this article to MBTA Commuter Boat with the comment correct title. I beg to differ. If you look at navigation box on the right of , you will see that when the MBTA talks about commuter boats, they mean F1, F2 and their variations, but not F4 (the inner harbor service). As this article covers both inner harbor and commuter boats, I've renamed it to MBTA Boat.

Arguably the title should be MBTA boat, depending on whether you think the boat bit is a part of a proper noun, or just a descriptor. But as that name has history, I cannot move over it. If anybody feels strongly it should be MBTA boat, go ahead and change it through the rename process. -- Chris j wood (talk) 08:50, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Article for the Charlestown Navy Yard Ferry Terminal?

Should there be an article about the Charlestown Navy Yard Ferry Terminal, or perhaps Pier 4 if that's more inclusive of nearby features? Seems like there should be, just like there are articles for many other mass transit / infrastructure stops, but I'm less familiar with public transportation article standards so I'm curious what others think. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 22:05, 14 November 2019 (UTC)

@Pi.1415926535: Pinging just in case you miss this in your watchlist. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 22:06, 14 November 2019 (UTC)

I don't think it's worth a standalone article - it's basically just a small metal dock. I don't have any information about the terminal other than the very brief history that's already in this article, so it'd be hard to flesh out a new article. If anything, I would put it as a section in Charlestown Naval Shipyard Park, which appears to surround the ferry terminal. The only of the MBTA ferry terminals that's probably worth a standalone article at this time is Hingham, which had a rather large new building constructed a few years ago. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 00:45, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

Ok, thanks! ---Another Believer _(Talk) 02:00, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

I've updated the Charlestown Naval Shipyard Park article here. --Another Believer _(Talk) 02:03, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:MBTA Boat/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Hog Farm (talk · contribs) 16:26, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

Criteria

1. Prose  Pass

2. Verifiability  Pass

3. Depth of Coverage  Pass

4. Neutral  Pass

5. Stable  Pass

6. Illustrations  Pass

7. Miscellaneous  Pass

Comments

1.

• Wikilink wharf
  •  Done
• " Quincy and Hull service" --> "service to Quincy and Hull", maybe?
  •  Done
• You link the Charleston Bridge. However, this specific bridge substantially predates the bridge you're talking about and has a slightly different name. Maybe a refined section link and a piped link with the 1780s bridge's name? (the redirect for the exact old bridge name goes to a list article)
  •  Done
• "However, the grant was than the actual cost of two boats, and plans for the service stalled" - You're missing a word in this sentence
  •  Done
• " In the 1990s, expanded ferry service was proposed an alternative " - I think this should be " ... as an alternative ... "
  •  Done
• Spell out the abbreviation of dba, not everyone's going to understand that abbreviation (I had to look it up)
  •  Done
• Wikilink MassDOT.
  •  Done
• Wikilink catamarans
  •  Done

2.

• Looks like system links needs a citation unless I missed something
  •  Done (Assuming you meant length)
• The number of terminals needs one, too it looks like - I incidentally found that information in the "MBTA STATE OF THE SERVICE: Water Transportation" source, so you can just cite it to there
  •  Done
• Citation(s) needed for the first paragraph of the Inner Ferry Harbor section
  •  Done
• Citation(s) needed for the first two paragraphs of the South Shore section
  •  Done
• Citation(s) needed for the Winthrop Ferry paragraph in the North Shore section
  •  Done
• "it too was largely out-competed by the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad for the commuter market." - The name of the railroad isn't mentioned in the source
  • No, but it was the only railroad that ran to Winthrop.
• Not finding the 0.3% figure in the source cited
  •  Done Added a citation to the original source of ridership numbers; the 0.3% is from a simple division, allowed by WP:CALC.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

• Maybe give the years these fees were/are current as of? Things such as this change frequently (stupid inflation)
  • I've cited all the MBTA fares to the tariff, which includes the date they took effect.

Placing on hold. Hog Farm (talk) 23:33, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for taking this! I believe I've addressed all your comments so far. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 02:49, 2 April 2020 (UTC)

That's all I head, good work. Hog Farm (talk) 03:29, 2 April 2020 (UTC)

Any good sources on when Schoodic Explorer was acquired?

The MBTA appears to have acquired the ship Schoodic Explorer, per this image I took yesterday: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MBTA_Ferry_Schoodic_Explorer_October_2024.jpg

However I can't find a decent reliable source of when it was acquired. The only thing I even found about the MBTA's acquisition of it was this this Q&A from back in June 2024 from the MBTA Advisory Board, which notes that it was more affordable than greener hybrid boats, and that it was formerly a "water taxi for cruise ships docking in Maine", and that "it has been repurposed with the MBTA which has a greater need". This should be enough to mention that it was acquired and that it's in the fleet, but it does not give a date of acquisition (which I feel is needed to make it flow into the rest of the article discussion on individual boats). https://mbtaadvisoryboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MINUTESFerry_June122024.pdf

There's some specifications of the ship from its builder: https://www.gulfcraft.com/catamarans/schoodic-explorer 4300streetcar (talk) 05:36, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

Edits were made with "At some point".

This summary of RFP 34-24 points to before 2024, though I'm not sure how citable it is, and I don't have access to COMMBUYS (where the actual RFP is hosted)

https://www.highergov.com/sl/contract-opportunity/ma-rfp-34-24-water-transportation-services-22041312/ 4300streetcar (talk) 23:13, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

Fleet section?

Given the number of different boats involved now, would it make sense to break off the fleet information in "Operations" into a "Fleet" section? Though I'm not sure how maintainable this is, as the Transithistory roster does not maintain information on MBTA boat operations, and trying to get very basic information (like when Schoodic Explorer was acquired) has proven to be difficult. 4300streetcar (talk) 23:15, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

I've shied away from adding a fleet section for that exact reason. It's especially tricky given the number of privately-owned boats that are used both for MBTA and non-MBTA services. I'm not opposed to a fleet section if you're able to dig up a more complete roster, though I'm not optimistic that one will be available. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 23:23, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

It's worth noting that the reason the MBTA uses contracted boats on the longer distance services is that they are cheaper, because the contractor is able to use these boats and crews during off-peak hours as tourist (whale-watching) vessels. This was discussed by MBTA ferry manager David Perry in a recent episode of the "Spilling the T" podcast. This implies that the fleet used on these services is likely to vary without much public notice. 207.180.169.36 (talk) 15:16, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

I have added an MBTA Ferry Fleet section as the MBTA has really expanded their ferry ownership in the past few years. MBTA presentations and news articles have helped defined what ferries they now own, so hopefully it will be manageable to keep updated. The contracted vessels are also added, which I know can be a challenge to keep track of, but the primary contracted ferries are mostly consistent except for the occasional substitute. Please feel free to swap out photos for better representation of each ferry. Seavoyage1 (talk) 01:21, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Change page name to MBTA Ferry

Suggesting to move page by changing name to "MBTA Ferry". This is the common term used by the MBTA today, and always referred to as the MBTA Ferry service, not "MBTA Boat" service. This would aid for those searching for information about the MBTA Ferry service, since MBTA boat is not a common search term. Seavoyage1 (talk) 01:14, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Please file a requested move, as I have already told you to do on your talk page. The MBTA does not appear to use "MBTA Ferry" as a capitalized proper noun - see this press release for example - and "MBTA ferry" would probably be the correct title to use. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 02:51, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Thank you. I would ask for your expertise and assistance in making this article have the correct title, whether its a lower case or capital "F", using MBTA boat is also not a proper title and should be corrected. Seavoyage1 (talk) 02:59, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Please file a requested move, using the instructions at that link. I cannot make that any more clear. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 03:04, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Thank I appreciate your guidance and patience . Seavoyage1 (talk) 03:12, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Requested move 2 October 2025

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) Jeffrey34555 (talk) 07:06, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

---

MBTA boat → MBTA ferry – MBTA ferry is the correct name used through official press and documents both with the MBTA and Massdot. The ferry service is never referred to as MBTA boat and this is inaccurate to continue using. This is also evident even in the content of this article referring to the service as MBTA ferry. Seavoyage1 (talk) 03:11, 2 October 2025 (UTC) — Relisting. TarnishedPath^talk 12:08, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

No opposition from me. 4300streetcar (talk) 03:49, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

• Support: The MBTA seems to use "ferry" rather than "boat". Pi.1415926535 (talk) 19:45, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Note: WikiProject Ships, WikiProject Greater Boston Public Transit, and WikiProject Massachusetts have been notified of this discussion. TarnishedPath^talk 12:08, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.