Cross-Bay Ferry sets opening weekend record
October 29, 2021 - The Cross-Bay Ferry set a new record for the number of riders it carried this past weekend. Mayor Rick Kriseman announced on Facebook Thursday that the 2,182 passengers the ferry brought across Tampa Bay were a new record for an opening weekend. The ferry first launched its pilot program in 2016 and hopes to become a permanent transportation option by 2024. The 149-passenger catamaran docks at the Vinoy Boat Basin in St. Pete and at the Tampa Convention Center across the bay. Demand has grown for the ferry service over the years, and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority recently applied for a $5 million federal grant to add a larger vessel.