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Passenger ferry service will begin Monday between Hatteras and Ocracoke Village, the N.C. Ferry Division announced today.
On Monday and Tuesday, (May 20 to 21), the service will be free as a preview to passengers. An initial cost of $1 each way will begin May 22. There will be no extra charge for bicycles.
“We are thrilled to be able to provide this service between Hatteras and Ocracoke villages,” said Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas. “It will give summer travelers a quicker, wait-free, stress-free transportation option between the two islands, and provide a big boost to the local tourist economy.”
After the two free preview days, beginning Wednesday, May 22, passenger ferry service will run seven days a week through Sept. 5. The division is leasing the ferry, the M/V Martha’s Vineyard Express, from the New Jersey-based ferry company Seastreak Marine. This week, the vessel successfully completed test runs of the route in the Pamlico Sound between the two Outer Banks islands.
The ferry, also named “Ocracoke Express,” will make three round trips daily through the summer, departing from the Hatteras terminal at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m., and departing the Ocracoke Silver Lake Terminal at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. A one-way trip takes approximately 70 minutes.
Passengers who would like to walk on to the passenger ferry should proceed to the Hatteras Terminal at least 20 minutes before departure time.
