Cross-Bay Ferry impacts businesses
December 5, 2019 - The Cross-Bay Ferry between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa gained 25 percent in ridership numbers in November, carrying 11,622 passengers compared to 9,268 in November 2018. About six in ten ferry passengers said they only made the trip because the ferry was available, a news release said, and nearly eight in ten, or 78 percent, said they dined out after reaching their destination. Nearly a third visited museums or went to events and about 20 percent shopped. More than 60 percent of ferry passengers said they spent more than $40 person and another 20 percent spent between $15 and $40 a person. More than 90 percent of passengers said they strongly supported a plan to create year-round ferry service.