A ferryboat (or just ferry) is a boat that carries people, cars, and trucks back and forth across a body of water on a regular schedule, like a floating bus. Instead of building an expensive bridge or taking a long drive around a bay or river, you can simply drive your car onto the ferry, and it will carry you across to the other side.

Ferries run on set routes and schedules, crossing the same stretch of water many times each day. Some ferries are small and carry only passengers who walk on board, while others are enormous vessels that can hold dozens of cars and hundreds of people. Major cities near water, like Seattle, New York, and San Francisco, depend on ferries to move commuters to work every morning.

Unlike cruise ships that take you on vacation, or cargo ships that haul goods across oceans, ferries exist to solve a simple problem: getting from one side of the water to the other. When you take a ferry, you're using one of humanity's oldest forms of transportation, updated with modern engines and safety equipment.