The Jean Ribault leaves Mayport Village on the hour and the half hour, and on the return trip it leaves Fort George Island at quarter past and quarter to the hour. As soon as it pulls away from the slip, you're inside the Timucuan Preserve, which is part of the National Park System, and some days a park ranger rides along. On weekends, volunteers from the Friends of the Ferry are on hand to answer questions about the area.
On January 1, 2027, the cost of that crossing changes for every vehicle in the queue lane. The cost for people who walk or pedal on stays the same. Two other things are happening at the same time. A new market opens on the waterfront along Ocean Street in Mayport Village this month, and on the north side most of the places worth visiting can be reached by bike. For Atlantic Beach households that treat the river crossing as a regular Saturday, the cheapest way to cross is now also the one with the most to do on both ends.
The New Fare Table, Line by Line
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority already posts the January rates on its St. Johns River Ferry page, right beside the current ones.
| Rider | Fare now | Fare from Jan. 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian or bicycle | $1 | $1 |
| Motorcycle | $6 | $7 |
| Car, weekday | $7 | $8 |
| Car, weekend | $8 | $10 |
| Truck, bus or RV, weekday | $14 | $16 |
| Truck, bus or RV, weekend | $16 | $19 |
| 20-trip ticket book, car | $120 | $140 |
| 20-trip ticket book, truck, bus or RV | $240 | $280 |
JTA defines a "car" as any vehicle under 20 feet long. Anything 20 feet or longer pays the truck, bus and RV rate. Pedestrians and cyclists holding a valid Senior or Reduced Fare ID STAR Card, or a Paratransit E-STAR Card, pay 50 cents every day. They need to show the card to the toll-taker before boarding.
The biggest change is the weekend car fare. A Saturday round trip by car costs $16 today and will cost $20 in January. A couple who walks on pays $4 round trip, now and after the change.
Why the Ferry Fare Went Up With Everything Else
The ferry increase came as one piece of an agency-wide budget. The Jax Daily Record reported that JTA's board voted 7-0 on May 28, 2026, to approve a $139.2 million FY27 budget. That budget was built to deal with a projected $17.5 million deficit, and it included higher bus fares, cuts to some routes, and the ferry increase. According to the same report, JTA expects all of the fare increases together to bring in an extra $1.57 million. It also reported that the board planned the budget around a conservative estimate of the authority's sales-tax revenue.
The ferry is a meaningful line item on its own. JTA's audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2025, list $5,448,169 in Ferry Fund expenses. That year the audit also shows a $3,888,730 transfer from JTA's Bus Fund into the Ferry Fund. Car fares cover only part of the cost of keeping the boat running, and the January increase is aimed at the vehicles in the queue lane, not the people walking on.
What the Ticket Book Is Worth After January
The 20-trip book is good for any day of the week, weekday or weekend. At today's $120, the car book works out to $6 a crossing. That saves $1 against the weekday cash fare and $2 against the weekend fare. At January's $140, it works out to $7 a crossing. That still saves $1 on a weekday, and on a weekend the savings grow to $3.
So the book loses none of its weekday value, and the price increase makes it a better deal on weekends. A household that drives across mostly on Saturdays and Sundays gets the most out of it after January 1. JTA sells the books through its online store, and single fares can be bought in the MyJTA app. A book bought before the new year at $120 is a reasonable buy for anyone who expects to drive across on weekends next year. Look at the ferry page for any terms on when the books can be used before you stock up.
November 21 Puts a Market at the Mayport Landing
The Mayport Village Waterfront Market launches Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 4542 Ocean St. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to attend. Visit Jacksonville's listing describes it as a community-driven market along the waterfront that will highlight the village's fishing heritage. It will have farmers, makers, cottage-food bakers, food trucks and nonprofits. The second date on the calendar is Saturday, December 19.
The Mayport Waterfront Partnership organizes the market. Its vendor map places the booths with the St. Johns River along one side and Ocean Street along the other, and a food-truck row called the Harbor Bite District at the top. The reserved booths for the opening Saturday include:
- Coffee and food: Gatherhouse Coffee, Mayport Poles Kitchen, Om Cafe, The CornerScone, 7 Bridges Granola, Kombucha Guru, SnacShack Bakery, Milanna Cafe, Doughmance bakery, Olive & Hummus and Col. Mustard's Phabulous Smashburgers
- Makers: Kin & Loom, SunRiver Artists, JAX Seaside Soaps, Dragonfly Paper Arts, MH House Of Plants and Petal & Pearl Jewelry
- Fishing and farm: Hook & Reel Fishing and ArchAngel Farms
- Community tables: OCEARCH, BEAM (Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry), the Art Creation Foundation for Children and Coral Reef Animal Hospital
Mayport Village also has two seafood restaurants. Safe Harbor Seafood's Mayport restaurant is closed Mondays and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Singleton's Seafood Shack serves lunch and dinner and takes orders online.
The North Bank Is Built for the $1 Fare
The north side of the crossing is where the low fare pays off. Most of what's over there either charges nothing or charges people on foot and on bikes less than cars.
Fort George Island Cultural State Park is open 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year, with no admission fee. Its restored 1920s Ribault Club is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to Florida State Parks, the island has a 4.4-mile bike loop on paved road and hard-packed gravel and a three-mile off-road trail, and its trails link toward Kingsley Plantation and the National Park Service trail network.
Kingsley Plantation is free. The National Park Service lists the grounds as open Wednesday through Sunday, and the visitor contact station is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free 20-minute ranger talks start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the park's open days. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the Planter's House opens for self-guided open houses from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and a ranger or volunteer is on hand to answer questions. Like the ranger talks, the open houses depend on weather and staffing. The Park Service lists Kingsley as open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Veterans Day, November 11, and closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, and on Christmas.
Farther up A1A, the fee schedules favor visitors who come by bike:
| Park | On foot or by bike | By vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Little Talbot Island State Park | $2 | $5, or $4 with one person in the vehicle |
| Big Talbot Island State Park | None listed | $3, good at four parking areas |
| Huguenot Memorial Park | $3 | $5 for up to six people |
Big Talbot's 3.9-mile Timucuan Trail is paved and runs alongside A1A away from traffic. A separate trail from the park's bluffs leads down to Boneyard Beach, known for its salt-bleached oak and cedar trees. Huguenot runs on winter hours from November through March, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The city's page notes that the park can close for high tides, when it reaches capacity, or when conditions are unsafe.
One Car-Free Saturday on November 21
The Kingsley open days, the trail network and the market all line up on the same Saturday:
- Get to the market on Ocean Street when it opens at 10 a.m. and have coffee from Gatherhouse or something from the Harbor Bite trucks.
- Walk or ride your bike onto a Mayport departure on the hour or half hour for $1.
- Ride the Fort George Island loop toward Kingsley and catch the 2 p.m. ranger talk or the 2:30 Planter's House open house.
- Catch a Fort George departure back at quarter past or quarter to the hour. On weekends the last one leaves at 8:45 p.m.
- End the day with dinner at Safe Harbor, which stays open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays.
The market closes at 2 p.m., so anyone set on the morning open house will need to cross first and shop in the afternoon on December 19.
The Boat Itself
All of this still depends on one vessel. JTA says the Jean Ribault was built in 1995, and its replacement is meant to give the route a backup during maintenance, so service no longer has to stop completely when the only boat is out. The replacement is a diesel hybrid-electric ferry, backed by a $15.6 million federal grant awarded in 2024. JTA says design started in 2025 and continues through 2026, and its project page still lists the project's status as "Planning." In 2024, Jacksonville Today reported that the second boat was expected to hit the water in fall 2028.
The cost of relying on a single boat showed up in 2025. After the ferry struck the Mayport boarding ramp, service stopped on May 4, and News4JAX reported that it resumed that June, two weeks ahead of schedule. Until the second boat arrives, it's worth checking JTA's service alerts before planning a day around the crossing.
The Mayport ferry, the village and the islands across the river are part of what makes our corner of the coast feel the way it does. If you're thinking about how close you'd like to live to Ocean Street and the ferry slip, or what a move within the Beaches might look like, Stephen Williams and the Edgewater Home Team would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a Consultation, and bring your own ferry stories.
