A knife fight over an electric outlet on the Staten Island Ferry is raising new questions about plans to put cell-phone charging stations on city buses, trains and ferryboats. Staten Island reporter Amanda Farinacci has the story:

For many of the 66,000 people who board the Staten Island Ferry daily, choosing a seat is part of a plan. Some want views of the Statue of Liberty. Others have a different goal.

"You try and just get a seat where there's an outlet," said one ferry rider.

"People are calm and cool about it, but everyone tries to go get it first," said another.

But that's not always the case.

Monday night, a 30-year-old man allegedly pulled a knife on a 22-year-old in a dispute over one of the ferry's electrical outlets.

Cops say both men wanted to use it to charge their phones.

The intended target dodged the blade, and the alleged attacker wound up stabbing himself before he was arrested and charged with attempted felony assault.

"That is pretty intense for a charger!" said one ferry rider.

"People arguing and fighting over just charging your phone?" asked another incredulously. "I mean come on! Sometimes people got to start using their noggin! It's crazy."

But the problem has been worrying the city's Transportation Department, which cut power to the outlets over the summer because some passengers were fighting over them. In one case, a ferry worker was even punched in the face.

The agency couldn't tell NY1 exactly when power was restored to the outlets on the boats, and the department declined to say why it made that decision.

But the potential for more such fights is only going to increase.

In May, the MTA began rolling out new buses with USB charging ports. And the agency has unveiled plans to equip a thousand new subway cars — and retro-fit some existing cars — with them.

The DOT couldn't say whether Monday's fight will affect plans to put charging ports on new ferries joining the fleet.

Some ferry riders we talked to said the attempted stabbing will make them re-think their charging habits. 

"I don't want to end up having a conflict, fighting with somebody, arguing with somebody, like you said, somebody show up with a knife; I don't want to end up in that predicament," the rider said.

To charge or not to charge — one more decision to make when boarding the ferry.