The Belford Ferry Has Until November 30: What Changes for Middletown Commuters in November

"We have agreed to give NY Waterway 30 days, beginning November 1, to demonstrate substantial and sustained improvements."

Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone said this after an emergency meeting with the ferry operator the week before Halloween, as reported by Middletown Patch. He also said that if NY Waterway "fails to meet all contractual obligations, we will move forward with terminating the contract."

That trial month starts this Sunday, November 1. The deadline matters to anyone who leaves the Belford Ferry Terminal before sunrise, but the reason behind it matters more. In August the county chose NY Waterway on two points, more trips and a lower fare. November tests a third point the August decision didn't settle, which is whether the boats leave and arrive on time. A Belford rider's real choice comes down to how those three points add up against the cost of driving to Highlands or Atlantic Highlands.

The calendar from here

Under the new times, the 6:20 a.m. boat is scheduled to reach Pier 11 at 7 a.m. and Paulus Hook at 7:15 a.m. All three changes came out of the Wednesday meeting between the county and NY Waterway. The timetable on NY Waterway's Belford route page may still show the old times when you check it this week, so look again before Monday's first boat.

The changes are aimed at specific problems. Arnone said NY Waterway linked some of its timeliness issues to "delays being encountered en route to and at the New York piers," and that the county wanted better on-time performance and more morning and evening service on Mondays. Leaving ten minutes earlier on the 6:20 a.m. boat builds in slack for the morning. The 6:15 p.m. boat adds a trip home for riders who had lost an evening option.

How Belford got to this point

The operator has changed more than once, and that history explains why the county set a hard deadline instead of starting a longer review.

1. 2002 to 2022. NY Waterway ran the Belford service for 20 years, according to ROI-NJ.
2. 2022. The county awarded the contract to SeaStreak. ROI-NJ, citing the Monmouth Journal, reported that NY Waterway lost the contract over a "bond requirement deficiency" in its submission.
3. April 2, 2024. In Port Imperial Ferry Corp. v. Monmouth County, a New Jersey Appellate Division panel found that the county's procurement method violated the Local Public Contract Law. The unpublished opinion is labeled as non-precedential.
4. April 14, 2026. Proposals were due under a new county request for proposals. The contract covered two years with two one-year renewal options.
5. August 13, 2026. Commissioners approved Resolution #61 awarding the contract to NY Waterway.
6. September 8, 2026. NY Waterway resumed service, with free rides on the first day.
7. October 6, 2026. The ferry Molly Pitcher struck pier pilings as it left Belford and broke multiple windows. The vessel continued to Manhattan, NY Waterway reported no injuries requiring medical attention, and the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating.
8. October 2026. A rider petition with nearly 500 signatures reached county officials, Patch reported, and the county called an emergency meeting with NY Waterway.

The county's August press release gave its reasons in one line. Its evaluation committee found that NY Waterway's proposal "would better serve our residents and commuters with more rides available at a lower cost." The county release set out a launch schedule of six weekday morning departures from Belford starting at 5:15 a.m., five peak evening returns from Manhattan and Paulus Hook, and three weekend departures from Belford.

The contract specified the number of trips and the fare. On-time performance is the point now under review.

What the lower fare buys

These are the published fares for a Belford commuter today, next to SeaStreak's current New Jersey to New York City fare sheet for its Highlands and Atlantic Highlands routes.

The gap is larger than the table shows. SeaStreak's fare sheet adds a temporary surcharge of about 5% to its listed passenger prices and says tickets expire after 60 days. With the surcharge, the per-ride cost of a SeaStreak 40-trip card comes to roughly $19.55, against $17.25 for NY Waterway's 40-trip card at Belford. On the 10-trip cards, the comparison is about $25.20 a ride against $22.

A heavy commuter pays a little over $2 more per ride to switch boats. Riding both ways five days a week for a month comes to about 40 trips, which is close to $90 a month.

News 12 confirmed in September that NY Waterway's $23 one-way fare is below what SeaStreak used to charge at Belford. The county had that savings in mind when it made the award.

The cost of driving east

Patch reported on October 8 that some Belford commuters had started driving to Atlantic Highlands or Highlands to ride SeaStreak, even though the fare is higher. SeaStreak's weekday timetable, effective September 8, 2026, serves both towns. Its Manhattan stops include Brookfield Place, East 35th Street and BMB-Slip 5. Its weekend timetable lists Highlands service.

Parking costs differ too:

• Belford: NY Waterway lists free parking at the county-owned terminal lots and runs a free parking shuttle.
• Atlantic Highlands: Free from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Overnight parking in lots 3 and 4 costs $20 Sunday through Wednesday and is free Thursday through Saturday.
• Highlands: Standard daytime spaces are free. Premium spaces cost $15 a day, and overnight parking in the satellite lot costs $20 Sunday through Wednesday.

For a day commuter in a standard space, parking costs nothing at any of the three terminals. The real costs of switching are the higher fare and the longer drive east along Route 36. A rider who lives near Belford or Port Monmouth adds more driving than a rider in Navesink or Leonardo, who is already partway there.

What the deadline measures

The arguments about fares and boats come back to time. A Middletown rider told NJ.com that she now leaves home earlier and still arrives late because of delays, and that in the evenings she gets home about 20 minutes later than she did under the previous operator. The petition's main complaints were on-time performance, crowding, delays and reduced service.

Twenty minutes a day across a working month is about seven hours. The $2 difference per ride is the price of avoiding that delay by switching terminals, if the delay continues. The November schedule changes are meant to make that comparison unnecessary. The 6:20 a.m. boat and the 6:15 p.m. boat target the two times of day riders reported losing.

The county has published its terms and nothing beyond them. NY Waterway has 30 days, starting November 1, to show "substantial and sustained improvements" and meet its contractual obligations. Arnone said NY Waterway gave assurances that "all of the concerns will be addressed in a consistent manner moving forward." NY Waterway had not commented publicly on the deadline when Patch reported it.

A note for bus riders on Route 36

Middletown commuters who take the bus have had a recent change of their own. The township closed the Route 36 and Wilson Avenue bus commuter lot in Port Monmouth on October 6 because the property was sold. Existing permits are valid at the Route 36 and Thompson Avenue lot in North Middletown, and the township said it was looking for another Route 36 site in Port Monmouth. The township's notice is the place to check for a replacement lot.

For ferry riders, the next firm date is Monday, November 2, when the morning boat leaves Belford at 6:20 a.m. The county's deadline follows four weeks later, on November 30.

Commute times shape a lot of decisions in Middletown, from which section of town fits a household's routine to how a home's location will matter in a few years. If you'd like to talk through how the Belford ferry, Route 36 or the Highlands terminals fit your plans, Greggory Casaburi is glad to help. Let's Connect.