Ocracoke Express passenger ferry to start season Tuesday

The Ocracoke Express ferry is shown by the docks. (Photo courtesy North Carolina Division of Transportation)

By Corinne Saunders

OCRACOKE — The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry that runs between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island begins its seventh summer season next Tuesday, May 13, a Thursday morning North Carolina Division of Transportation (NCDOT) press release announced.

This season’s fare is $15 per person for a round-trip ticket, with children under 3 riding for free and an additional $1 fee to bring a bicycle, the press release said.

“The fare is the same as it was last year: $7.50 one-way, $15 round-trip,” Tim Hass, NCDOT spokesperson for Division 1 and the Ferry Division, said in an email.

The Ocracoke Express ferry carries up to 129 passengers between Hatteras and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor on a 70-minute ride across Pamlico Sound, according to the release.

This allows people to skip the wait for the vehicle ferry, instead going “straight into the heart of Ocracoke Village,” the release said. “There, they can walk, rent bikes or golf carts, or use Hyde County’s free Ocracoke Village Tram, which stops at shops, restaurants and attractions in the village.”

Ferry Division Director Jed Dixon said in the release that passenger surveys have shown the passenger ferry to be “an extremely popular option” for Ocracoke day trips.

“It’s the easiest and most convenient way to spend a day on Ocracoke Island,” Dixon said in the release.

The ferry will have eight departures and four return trips on “the busier days,” which are Tuesdays through Thursdays, according to the release.

Departure times from Hatteras are 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 5 p.m., and return trips from Ocracoke are 9:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3.p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on those days.

On Friday, Saturday and Monday, departures from Hatteras are scheduled at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., with return trips from Ocracoke at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The ferry does not run on Sundays.

Reservations are available 90 days in advance and are highly recommended. Travelers can make reservations online at www.ncferry.org, or by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY.

The Ocracoke Express ferry operates each summer season through early September, according to the Ferry Division website.

The free Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicle ferry route will continue running its 52 scheduled daily departures, traveling across the Pamlico Sound between Hatteras and the north end of Ocracoke Island. No reservations are accepted for the vehicle ferry.

To receive real-time text or email updates on weather or mechanical delays, people can sign up for the Ferry Information Notification System at www.ncdot.gov/fins, the release said.

The North Carolina Senate’s 458-page proposed state budget bill includes a provision that would increase the Ocracoke Express cost from $7.50 to $15. It does not specify, but it appears that cost would be for each way, for a proposed round-trip cost of $30. The Ferry Division website lists only one-way fares on its “Ticket Prices” page for each ferry route.

The provision would add tolls to all North Carolina ferry routes currently without them and increase the tolls of already tolled routes. This has been met with staunch opposition locally. After clearing the Senate, the bill passed its first reading in the state House of Representatives on April 29 and was sent to a committee.

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