Thirty minutes between boats, five minutes on the water, seven dollars for a car on a weekday: those three numbers are the St. Johns River Ferry. It carries State Road A1A across the St. Johns River between Mayport Village on the south bank and Fort George Island on the north, in Jacksonville's Duval County, and it is run by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, the same state agency that runs the city's buses.
October 1, 2026 changed two things. The operating window shrank: weekdays now run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; through September the boat had run every day from 6 a.m. to after 8:30 p.m. And the discount for paying through the MyJTA app disappeared, so the fare you see at the ramp is the fare you pay. The half-hourly rhythm itself is unchanged.
A note on reliability: JTA's page carried a notice dated August 15, 2026 that the ferry was temporarily out of service. That notice is no longer shown, JTA's service-alert list was empty on October 1, and none of the authority's recent press releases mentions a suspension. The notice itself sent riders to the MyJTA app and JTA Customer Service for updates, and those are still the places to check on the day.
Same half-hour beat, shorter days since October 1
Hours in force from October 1, 2026, as announced by JTA on its ferry page and its service-change page; read on October 1, 2026 JTA — St. Johns River Ferry · 2026-10-01
Seven dollars on a weekday, eight at the weekend, one on foot
JTA charges by vehicle length and by day of the week, and a toll-taker collects the fare: drivers are asked to turn off the engine, set the parking brake and stay with the car until the toll has been taken. A car means anything under 20 feet; anything 20 feet or longer pays the truck, bus and RV rate. Weekends cost a dollar or two more than weekdays, and a pedestrian or cyclist pays the same dollar every day.
The ferry page still shows lower prices for paying through the MyJTA app. Those discounts were eliminated on October 1, 2026, so the figures below apply whichever way you pay.
| Car under 20 ft | $ 7 |
| Truck, bus or RV, 20 ft and over | $ 14 |
| Motorcycle | $ 6 |
| Car under 20 ft | $ 8 |
| Truck, bus or RV, 20 ft and over | $ 16 |
| Motorcycle | $ 6 |
| Pedestrian or bicycle | $ 1 |
| Pedestrian or bicycle with a Senior, Reduced Fare or E-STAR card | $ 0.50 |
| Car book | $ 120 |
| Truck, bus or RV book | $ 240 |
2026 fares at full price; JTA ended its mobile-app discounts on October 1, 2026. Read on October 1, 2026 JTA — St. Johns River Ferry fares; JTA fare table 2019/2026/2027 · 2026-10-01
Ocean Street in Mayport, Heckscher Drive on Fort George Island
Mayport Village ferry slip
On the south bank the ferry is the end of Ocean Street through Mayport Village; JTA's driving directions put the entrance ramp at 4780 Ocean Street, State Road A1A, a little beyond the loading-dock address. From the beaches you come up Mayport Road and fork left onto A1A; from the south side of Jacksonville the Wonderwood Expressway brings you onto A1A about three miles short of the village.
JTA lists a pedestrian access route to the boarding area among the improvements it has made at the Mayport slip, along with new fencing and cleared-out obsolete structures.
Fort George Island ferry slip
The north-side ramp is off Heckscher Drive, State Road 105, at the point where it carries A1A. From Fernandina Beach it is about 16 miles south on A1A to the ramp, on the left; from I-295 it is roughly ten miles east along Heckscher Drive, on the right.
Fort George Island is inside the Timucuan Preserve, the National Park Service area that the ferry also runs through, and Kingsley Plantation is on the same island. Farther north, across the Georgia line, the Park Service's Cumberland Island National Seashore is reached by a passenger-only concession boat from St. Marys.
Crossing the St. Johns 2.5 miles in from the Atlantic
The ferry crosses the St. Johns River 2.5 miles upstream of its mouth, close to where the river meets the Atlantic. JTA puts the voyage at 0.9 mile and about five minutes, so even a queue that misses one boat is only half an hour from the next.
Without it, A1A has a gap. The road comes up the coast to Mayport, stops at the river and picks up again on Fort George Island, and the way round is inland over the interstate beltway: JTA's own directions reach the northern slip from I-295 and Heckscher Drive, and the southern one by the Wonderwood Expressway.
Before you queue at the Mayport or Fort George ramp
- Stay in the car
JTA asks every passenger in a vehicle to remain inside it for the crossing, engine off and parking brake on, until the toll is collected.
- The app is for status now, not savings
The MyJTA app still sells ferry fares and is where JTA points riders for service updates, but since October 1 it no longer gives a discount.
- Dogs stay in the vehicle
Only service dogs may be on deck, and they must be held. Someone arriving on foot with a dog kept close on its leash can ride at the rear of the boat, apart from other riders, when space allows.
- No semitrailers
Tractor-trailer rigs are prohibited. Anything else 20 feet or longer pays the truck, bus and RV rate.
- You are entering a national preserve
The river here is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, and a park ranger is sometimes aboard. At weekends Friends of the Ferry volunteers answer questions about the area.
- Show a STAR card for the 50-cent fare
Seniors and reduced-fare riders travelling on foot or by bike pay $0.50 if they present a current JTA ID STAR or Paratransit E-STAR card to the toll-taker before boarding; an expired card means full fare.
A state highway with a boat in the middle, run by a bus agency
JTA took the ferry over on March 31, 2016 and has spent the years since on the landings: new fencing round the fuel tanks and a pedestrian path at Mayport, renovated restrooms and restriped queue lanes on Fort George Island. In February 2024 it shut the route for three weeks for the fifth phase of that work, including the Fort George catwalk and mooring bollards and new approach slabs, and used the break for maintenance on the Jean Ribault, the vessel named in its announcement. In Louisiana, the port district's half-hourly car ferry between Belle Chasse and Scarsdale lost weeks of service to breakdowns in 2026, with two new ferries not expected before December 2028.
The authority is now under financial pressure. On September 17, 2026 it announced cuts to close a $39 million shortfall, pausing the downtown Skyway from November 2 and the autonomous NAVI service from December 31; the ferry was not on that list, but its shorter hours arrive in the same budget year. In Savannah, Chatham Area Transit's Belles are another river boat run by a bus agency, there without any fare at all.
The Jean Ribault, the one vessel JTA names
What riders ask JTA about the Mayport ferry this fall
What are the St. Johns River Ferry hours from October 1, 2026?
Weekdays 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to JTA. Boats leave Mayport at the top and bottom of every hour and Fort George Island at quarter past and quarter to.
What is the Saturday car fare on the St. Johns River Ferry?
$8.00 for a car under 20 feet, against $7.00 on weekdays. A truck, bus or RV 20 feet or longer pays $16.00 at weekends and $14.00 on weekdays.
Do I still save money buying through the MyJTA app?
No. JTA eliminated its mobile discounts on October 1, 2026. The app still sells fares and carries service updates, but the price is the same as at the ramp.
Was the Mayport ferry shut down in August?
JTA posted an advisory dated August 15, 2026 saying the service was temporarily out of service. By October 1 that notice had been taken off the page and JTA listed no active ferry alert. For the day you travel, check the MyJTA app or JTA Customer Service.
Can I walk or cycle onto the ferry at Mayport?
Yes, for $1.00 each way, or $0.50 for seniors and reduced-fare riders holding a JTA ID STAR or E-STAR card. On the Mayport side JTA lists pedestrian access to the boarding area among its recent improvements.
Is a ticket book worth it?
For regular drivers, yes: a car book of 20 crossings costs $120.00, or $6.00 a trip, against $7.00 or $8.00 paid singly, and it is valid on weekdays and weekends.
Will fares go up in 2027?
JTA has proposed new ferry fares for January 2027, including $8.00 for a weekday car and $10.00 at weekends. They are listed as proposed; the current fares apply until JTA confirms a change.