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San Francisco Bay Ferry

(Redirected from Harbor Bay Ferry)

San Francisco Bay Ferry is a public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay, administered by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and operated under contract by the privately owned Blue and Gold Fleet. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 3,013,100, or about 8,800 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2026.

San Francisco Bay Ferry
Hydrus departing the Ferry Building in San Francisco
LocaleSan Francisco Bay Area
WaterwaySan Francisco Bay
Transit typePassenger ferry
OwnerSan Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
OperatorBlue and Gold Fleet
Began operation2011 (consolidation of existing service)
No. of lines6 (plus 5 special)
No. of vessels19[1][2]
No. of terminals9
Daily ridership8,800 (weekdays, Q1 2026)[3]
Yearly ridership3,013,100 (2025)[4]
Websitesanfranciscobayferry.com
Route map

Legend
 Mare Island
 Vallejo
Richmond
 Pier 41
San Francisco Municipal Railway#Heritage streetcars
 San Francisco
Golden Gate Ferry Bay Area Rapid Transit
Oracle Park
 Chase Center
 Oakland
Amtrak
 Alameda Main Street
 Alameda Seaplane Lagoon
 Harbor Bay
 South San Francisco
San Francisco Bay
 special event service
This diagram:

San Francisco Bay Ferry is a different system from Golden Gate Ferry, which provides passenger ferry service between San Francisco and Marin County.

Routes

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San Francisco Bay Ferry operates six ferry routes:

There is one "short hop" route that does not cross the bay:

  • Alameda Short Hop: On weekdays, connects Main Street Terminal on the northern shore of Alameda Island with the Oakland Ferry Terminal in the morning, and Oakland with Alameda in the evening. At other times this connection is served by the Oakland & Alameda route above.

There are also four seasonal sports routes:

  • Oracle Park–Oakland & Alameda: Service between the Main Street Terminal on the northern shore of Alameda Island, the Oakland Ferry Terminal and the China Basin Ferry Terminal adjacent to Oracle Park for most San Francisco Giants home games and concerts at Oracle Park.
  • Oracle Park–Vallejo: Service between the Vallejo Ferry Terminal in Vallejo, and the China Basin Ferry Terminal adjacent to Oracle Park for all San Francisco Giants weekend home games. For weekday home games, there is direct service back to Vallejo, but not to San Francisco.
  • Oracle Park–Richmond: Service between the Richmond Ferry Terminal and the Pier 48.5 Ferry Terminal for select Giants home games. Pilot service in this corridor began with the 2025 Giants season.[7]
  • Chase Center–Oakland & Alameda: Service between the Main Street Terminal on the northern shore of Alameda Island, the Oakland Ferry Terminal and Pier 48 near Chase Center for all Golden State Warriors home games

History

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Vallejo

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Commuter service to Vallejo began in September 1986. It operated by Red & White Fleet without subsidy, though Vallejo funded the simultaneously opened ferry terminal.[8] The company lost money on the commuter service; in October 1988, the city began subsidizing service. The passage of Regional Measure 1 the next month provided additional funding.[8] After the 1989 earthquake, service was temporarily increased using three ferries rented from the Washington State Ferries system. The 1990 passage of Proposition 116 provided $10 million for the purchase of new vessels, with an additional $17 million from the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.[8] A new vessel (MV Jet Cat Express) and a new operator (Blue and Gold Fleet) began operations on July 1, 1994. Two high-speed catamarans (MV Intintoli and MV Mare Island) were put into service in May 1997 under a new Baylink brand.[8] The MV Solano was added in 2004, allowing an increase from 11 to 15 daily round trips.[8] This link is part of the Western Express Bicycle Route, and is also part of US Bike Route 50.

Emergency service

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In the days and weeks following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, ferry service was hastily restored between San Francisco and the East Bay while the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was closed for repairs.[9] After the Bay Bridge reopened in November 1989, service between Jack London Square, Main Street Alameda, and the San Francisco Ferry Building was maintained as the Alameda/Oakland Ferry, managed by the City of Alameda and operated by Red & White Fleet with funding from local governments and Caltrans.[10]

In March 1992, Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry service was begun between Harbor Bay ferry terminal on Bay Farm Island and the San Francisco Ferry Building. It was initially funded by Harbor Bay Isle Associates, the master real estate developer of the Harbor Bay development.[10]

The popularity of the revived ferries and the need for a robust ferry system in the event that the region's roads and tunnels become impassable in an emergency ultimately led to the creation of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system.[11] The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is a government entity[12] created by the California state legislature in 2007 by Senate Bill 976.[13] The organization is a successor to the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA), which the legislature established in 1999 with Senate Bill 428.[14][15][10]

Consolidation and expansion

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WETA assumed responsibility and ownership of the SF–Oakland/Alameda and SF–Harbor Bay ferry services previously operated by the City of Alameda in May 2011 and January 2012 respectively.[16] Service between Oakland Ferry Terminal and the city of South San Francisco began on June 4, 2012, which also coincided with use of the new San Francisco Bay Ferry name.[17][18][19] WETA assumed control of Vallejo Baylink service on July 1, 2012.[20] Approximately half of the agency's operating funds come from Regional Measure 2, a $1 toll increase on Bay Area bridges approved in 2004, and the other half comes from fares.[21][22] Since 2011, the private Blue and Gold Fleet has been under contract to operate the ferries on behalf of WETA.[23]

On April 29, 2013, a third evening trip from South San Francisco to Oakland was added, as well as a midday leisure-oriented round trip on Wednesdays and Fridays between South San Francisco and Pier 41 via the Ferry Building.[24] South San Francisco–Ferry Building service was expanded to Monday through Friday on November 3, 2014, with the Pier 41 segment dropped.[25] The single reverse commute trip on the South San Francisco–Oakland/Alameda route was dropped on May 4, 2015, leaving only three peak-direction round trips.[26] South San Francisco–Ferry Building service ended on July 2, 2018.[27]

Seasonal direct service between Oakland/Alameda and Angel Island ended on October 26, 2014; timed transfers at Pier 41 for Blue & Gold Fleet service to Angel Island were introduced beginning with the 2015 summer season.[28][29] On January 2, 2017, WETA increased weekday Vallejo service to 14 southbound and 13 northbound trips, with route 200 bus service discontinued.[30] SolTrans began operating a single northbound route 82 bus trip via the Ferry Building in the late evening, intended for passengers who miss the last ferry to Vallejo.[31] On March 6, 2017, service to Mare Island began as a short extension of Vallejo service. Initially, seven weekday round trips and four weekend round trips were extended to Mare Island.[32]

Weekday commuter service from a remodeled Richmond Ferry Terminal, in Richmond's Marina Bay District, to San Francisco was approved for funding and planning in 2015.[33][34] Service commenced on January 10, 2019, with commute and limited reverse commute services.[35] Weekday peak and evening service between the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Alameda Seaplane Lagoon on the southern shore of Alameda Island began July 1, 2021.[36]

On July 17, 2024, WETA launched a free two-year Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle between Jack London Square at the foot of Broadway and Bohol Circle Immigrant Park on the northern shore of Alameda Island. The 31-passenger, 14-bicycle vessel Woodstock crosses the estuary in under 10 minutes and operates Tuesday through Sunday.[37] In July 2024, WETA also launched a Redwood City ballpark pilot — the first ferry service to the Peninsula south of San Francisco — providing service between the Port of Redwood City and Oracle Park on select Sunday Giants home games.[38] Systemwide ridership reached 2,388,379 in FY2023–24, recovering from a COVID-era low of 264,498 in FY2020–21.[39]

Future expansion

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Richmond Ferry Terminal opened in 2019

A permanent ferry terminal at Mission Bay is being developed by WETA and the Port of San Francisco at 16th Street and Terry A. Francois Boulevard, intended to serve events at Chase Center and provide daily service to the Mission Bay neighborhood. Phase 1 infrastructure was completed in 2021. Phase 2a marine demolition began in 2025; Phase 2b construction of the ferry landing and upland improvements is scheduled for 2026–2027.[40] An interim terminal at Pier 48 continues to serve event-day routes to Oracle Park and Chase Center.[41]

WETA plans to establish new service from Berkeley and Redwood City to San Francisco. Its long-term vision also includes service from San Francisco to Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, and Treasure Island.[42] A draft environmental impact report for the proposed Berkeley Marina ferry terminal was released in February 2026 for a 60-day public comment period ending April 28, 2026.[43][44] Permanent Redwood City service remains in environmental review; a ballpark pilot operated on select Sundays in July and August 2024.[45] WETA projected in 2018 that the fleet would grow from 13 to 57 vessels by 2035 to accommodate new services and frequency increases on existing routes; the fleet reached 19 vessels by November 2025.[46][47]

Annual ridership

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FY* Alameda/Oakland Alameda Seaplane Harbor Bay Richmond South San Francisco Vallejo Systemwide %±
2006–07 443,000 — 130,000 — — 897,000 1,470,000 —
2007–08 459,000 — 145,000 — — 848,000 1,452,000 −1.2%
2008–09 400,000 — 143,000 — — 690,000 1,233,000 −15.1%
2009–10 421,000 — 147,000 — — 682,000 1,250,000 +1.4%
2010–11 455,130 — 154,000 — — 697,000 1,306,000 +4.5%
2011–12 545,393 — 177,159 — 5,141 668,770 1,391,322 +6.5%
2012–13 606,960 — 203,131 — 40,505 713,300 1,563,896 +12.4%
2013–14 821,633 — 246,695 — 84,098 826,445 1,978,871 +26.5%
2014–15 911,473 — 266,304 — 107,389 858,665 2,143,831 +8.3%
2015–16 1,149,085 — 311,313 — 125,946 959,939 2,546,283 +18.8%
2016–17 1,183,188 — 321,289 — 136,320 1,000,773 2,641,570 +3.7%
2017–18 1,311,041 — 332,283 — 144,735 1,056,342 2,844,401 +7.7%
2018–19 1,384,300 — 355,713 84,576 142,749 1,081,665 3,048,733 +7.18%
2019–20 — — — — — — 2,298,857 −24.6%
2020–21 — — — — — — 264,498 −88.5%
2021–22 — — — — — — 1,412,543 +434.0%
2022–23 — — — — — — 2,024,646 +43.3%
2023–24 674,143 353,063 239,859 292,116 81,987 747,212 2,388,379 +18.0%
— Route did not yet operate that year, or per-route data not separately available for that year. Alameda Seaplane route began July 1, 2021; per-route breakdown available from FY2023–24. Sources:[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][39][58]

Fleet

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As of November 2025, WETA operates 19 passenger ferries carrying between 199 and 445 passengers each. The fleet is organized into four named classes plus several non-class vessels.[59]

The Dorado class, built by Mavrik Marine of La Conner, Washington, comprises four vessels — Dorado (2022), Delphinus (2024), Karl (2025), and Zalophus (November 2025) — each carrying 320 passengers at a service speed of 36 knots (41 mph). The commissioning of Zalophus on November 17, 2025, brought the fleet to 19 vessels.[60] The Pyxis class, built by Dakota Creek Industries, includes Pyxis (2018), Vela and Lyra (both 2019), each carrying 445 passengers at 34 knots. The Hydrus class, built by Vigor/Kvichak Marine, includes Hydrus and Cetus (both 2017) and Argo and Carina (both 2018), each carrying 400 passengers at 27 knots. The Gemini class, built by Kvichak Marine Industries and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, includes Gemini and Pisces (both 2008) and Taurus and Scorpio (both 2009), each carrying 199 to 225 passengers at 26 knots. Non-class vessels include the Nichols Brothers-built Peralta (2002, 331 passengers) and Bay Breeze (1994, 250 passengers), and the Dakota Creek Industries-built Intintoli and Mare Island (both 1997, 330–349 passengers, 34 knots).

Three vessels were retired between 2018 and 2019: Encinal (1985) and Vallejo (1994) were both sold to Allen Marine Tours in 2018, and Solano (2004) was sold to Kitsap Transit in 2019 after California Air Resources Board emissions compliance costs made retrofitting uneconomical.[61]

Five battery-electric zero-emission ferries are on order under WETA's Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program.[62] Three 150-passenger vessels are being built by All American Marine of Bellingham, Washington, with electric propulsion supplied by Wärtsilä and battery systems by Echandia; the $58.4 million contract was awarded in December 2024, with entry into service expected in early 2027.[63] Two 400-passenger vessels are being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, Washington, in collaboration with Incat Crowther and Wärtsilä; the contract was awarded in April 2025, with entry into service expected in 2028.[64]

References

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  1. ↑ "Meet Our Fleet". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Celebrating MV Zalophus". San Francisco Bay Ferry. November 2025. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2026" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "San Francisco Bay Ferry". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ "South San Francisco Ferry Route". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Richmond Ferry to Oracle Park". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "The History of Vallejo Ferry Service". Baylink. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.
  9. ↑ Cabanatuan, Michael (February 24, 2006). "BAY AREA / Ferry godmother / After a big quake, water travel may save the day -- and lives". San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. 1 2 3 "Water Emergency Transportation Authority Draft Final Transition Plan" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. June 18, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ Cabanatuan, Michael (April 13, 2006). "BAY AREA / Revived push for water-transit network / Emergency system seen as necessary after a big quake". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  12. ↑ "California Code, GOV 66540.4". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Emergency Response". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  14. ↑ "SB 428- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Senate Bill 428 Establishes Bay Area Water Transit Authority". Bay Crossings. January 2000. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019.
  16. ↑ "2020 Short Range Transit Plan" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. pp. 11–12. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ "New South San Francisco Service Launches June 4, 2012 | San Francisco Bay Ferry". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  18. ↑ "SFBF to Expand South San Francisco Service | San Francisco Bay Ferry". Archived from the original on May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  19. ↑ "From South San Francisco to San Francisco Ferry Bldg". sanfranciscobayferry.com. San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  20. ↑ "San Francisco Bay Ferry Assumes Operation of City of Vallejo's Baylink Ferry Service" (Press release). July 2, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ "WETA Strategic Plan". 2016.
  22. ↑ McGall, Andrew (September 14, 2015). "San Francisco Bay ferry rider surge fuels expansion dream". San Jose Mercury News.
  23. ↑ "WATER EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY AWARDS FERRY OPERATING CONTRACT TO BLUE & GOLD FLEET" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. October 11, 2011.
  24. ↑ "SFBF to Expand South San Francisco Service" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. April 4, 2013. Archived from the original on May 6, 2013.
  25. ↑ "From South San Francisco to San Francisco Ferry Bldg". San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  26. ↑ "San Francisco Bay Ferry" (PDF). Bay Crossings. Vol. 16, no. 5. May 2015. p. 25.
  27. ↑ "South San Francisco to San Francisco Ferry Bldg". San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018.
  28. ↑ "From Oakland Jack London Square to Angel Island". San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Getting to Angel Island State Park From Alameda, Oakland or Vallejo". San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Enhanced Vallejo Ferry Weekday Schedule In Effect Beginning January 2, 2017" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.
  31. ↑ "New SolTrans Route 82 to Replace WETA's Route 200 Late Night Trips" (PDF) (Press release). Solano County Transit. December 29, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Mare Island Ferry service begins on March 6, 2017" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.
  33. ↑ Officials showcase proposed Richmond commuter ferry, Spencer Whitley, Richmond Confidential, June 22, 2012, access date July 3, 2012
  34. ↑ Goldberg, Ted (November 18, 2015). "Richmond Ferry Service to San Francisco Inches Closer to Reality". KQED. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  35. ↑ "About Ferry Service Between Richmond and the San Francisco Ferry Building". Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  36. ↑ Potter, Pat (July 6, 2021). "Celebrating New Ferry". Alameda Sun. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  38. ↑ "SF Bay Ferry's Redwood City Ballpark Pilot Service Launches July 28". San Francisco Bay Ferry. July 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  39. 1 2 "Annual Database Agency Metrics (NTD ID 90225)". Federal Transit Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Mission Bay Ferry Landing". Port of San Francisco. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  41. ↑ Keeling, Brock (April 17, 2019). "New ferry service coming to Mission Bay". Curbed. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Proposed Routes". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Berkeley Ferry Project". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Berkeley Pier Ferry Access Project". City of Berkeley. Archived from the original on March 20, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  45. ↑ "SF Bay Ferry's Redwood City Ballpark Pilot Service Launches July 28". San Francisco Bay Ferry. July 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  46. ↑ "PPG, MTU Power Bay Area's New Ferries". Marine Link. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Celebrating MV Zalophus". San Francisco Bay Ferry. November 2025. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Short Range Transit Plan FY2012 – FY2021" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. 2012. Appendix A. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 29, 2013. Attachment 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. July 10, 2014. Attachment 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 24, 2015. Attachment A (Total Passengers Current FY To Date). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  52. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 3, 2015. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2015). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 4, 2016. Attachment A (Total Passengers Current FY To Date). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  54. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 1, 2016. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2016). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  55. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 7, 2017. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2017). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 2, 2018. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2018). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  57. ↑ "Annual Financial Statements for Year Ended June 30, 2020" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Board Documents". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  59. ↑ "Meet Our Fleet". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  60. ↑ "Celebrating MV Zalophus". San Francisco Bay Ferry. November 2025. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  61. ↑ "Old San Francisco Bay ferries don't die — they just find new waters". Richmond Confidential. January 2, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  62. ↑ "REEF — Rapid Electric Emission Free Ferry Program". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  63. ↑ "Wärtsilä to supply the electric propulsion system for USA's first battery electric zero emission high-speed passenger ferries". Wärtsilä. May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  64. ↑ "NBBB to Build Two Battery-Electric San Francisco Bay Ferries". Marine Log. Archived from the original on June 4, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
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