b'NEWSWIRE:Ferry Ridership in 2019 Exceeded 113 MillionI n the pre-pandemic calendar year of 2019,2019operationalstatisticsfromthoseferryBTS was scheduled to census ferry operators atleast113.6millionpassengersrodeoperators that submitted their information.again this year to collect data for the 2022 ferries in the United States, according toOperator participation is voluntary, but PVAcensus.However,recognizingthatferry the 2020 National Census of Ferry Operators.strongly encourages its members to respond soridershipremainsatypicallydepressedasa New York State had the most ferry riders, 31that the national database is as comprehensiveresult of the coronavirus pandemic, BTS has million, followed closely by Washington Stateand accurate as possible. chosen to skip a year. The next collection of with 28.7 million. Of the 27 million vehiclesdate from ferry operators will occur in 2022.carriedbyferries,morethan44percent (11.9 million) were transported on routes in113.6Washington State. The National Census of Ferry Operators is aIN 2019data collection undertaken by the Bureau ofMILLIONTransportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S.PASSENGERS RODE FERRIESDepartment of Transportation. Done every two years, the Ferry Operators Census was fi conductedin2006.Sincethen,thereNEW YORK STATE WASHINGTON STATE rst have been six additional data collections, theHAD THE MOST FERRY RIDERS HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST FERRY RIDERSmost recent being 2020.31 28.7BTS canvasses all ferry operators, public andMILLION MILLIONprivate,within the U.S., American Samoa, PuertoRico,andtheU.S.VirginIslands.The information collected from the census is maintained in the national ferry database showinginformationonferryvessels, terminals,routes,ridership,funding,andOF MORE THANTHE 2711.9MILLIONmore. The web page for the Ferry OperatorsMILLION44% WERE TRANSPORTED VEHICLES CARRIED Census can be accessed by clicking here.BY FERRIES ON ROUTES IN WASHINGTON STATETheFerryOperatorsCensuswasfi rst mandatedin2005undertheawkwardly titled Safe, Accountable, Flexible EfficientAccording to the 2020 National Census of Ferry OperatorsTransportation Equity ActA Legacy for Users(SAFETEA-LU)(PublicLaw109-59, section 1801(e)). That law directed thatIs Your FleetThesecretaryoftransportation,actingRunning You Ragged?throughtheBureauofTransportation Statistics (BTS), shall establish and maintainTripLogger Can Help. a national ferry database that shall containEnable your operators to track essential data current information regarding routes, vessels,for your passenger vessel or entire fleet with passengersandvehiclescarried,fundingease. With TripLogger, your team can track sources and such other information as theimportant passenger data along with captain secretaryconsidersuseful.Asubsequentand voyage details with a few simple taps. statutein2015directedthattheFederalEasily compile accurate daily trip reports for Highway Administration use the census datayour fleet that are automatically uploaded and to allocate federal funds for ferry boat andmanaged in a secure company dashboard. terminal construction using a formula set in law. That formula is based on a percentageIs your fleet running you, or are you ofthenumbersofpassengerandvehiclerunning your fleet? boardings and route-miles served. Take control with gplinks TripLogger app for iPad.Thedatacapturedbythe2020FerryTripL gger powered byOperatorsCensusrepresentscalendaryearCustom Apps for Passenger Vessel Fleetsgplink.com/tl+1 252.504.5113SEPTEMBER 2021 41 NEWSWIRE'