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The North Carolina Department of Transportation is gearing up for the busy season on the Outer Banks by increasing ferry trips to and from Ocracoke starting Tuesday, May 25.

Service between Hatteras and Ocracoke will increase from 52 to 60 daily departures.

At the busy Hatteras terminal, starting at 8 a.m., ferries depart every 30 minutes until 6:30 p.m. The earliest ferry is 5 a.m. from Hatteras; the latest midnight.

From the Ocracoke dock, departures are scheduled every 30 minutes starting at 9:30 a.m. and going to 8 p.m. The earliest ferry from Ocracoke leaves at 4.30 a.m.; the last ferry departs at midnight.

The schedule as of Tuesday will be the following:

From Hatteras: 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m. and midnight.

From Ocracoke: 4:30 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and midnight.

On the Pamlico Sound, the Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes will each increase service from six to eight daily departures. The schedule starting Tuesday will be the following:

Cedar Island-Ocracoke: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Ocracoke-Cedar Island: 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Swan Quarter-Ocracoke: 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Ocracoke-Swan Quarter: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

For a complete schedule on all ferry routes, visit ncferry.org or call 1-800-BY-FERRY.

The schedule and start time for the passenger ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake has not been announced.

Jamie Krizer, assistant director for communications for the state’s Department of Transportation, wrote in response to an email query, “We’re working to secure passenger ferry service this summer.”

Legislation is working its way through the General Assembly for lease funding.

An amendment has been adopted for HB 165 allocating $943,000 to the Ferry Division to be used to lease a passenger ferry. As of May 21, the legislation has passed the House and is in the Senate’s Rules and Operations Committee.

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