San Francisco Bay Ferry
 | |
 | |
| Locale | San Francisco Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Waterway | San Francisco Bay |
| Transit type | Passenger ferry |
| Owner | San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority |
| Operator | Blue & Gold Fleet |
| Began operation | 1999 |
| No. of lines | 4 |
| No. of terminals | 9 |
The San Francisco Bay Ferry (SFBF) is a passenger ferry service on San Francisco Bay, owned by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and operated by Blue & Gold Fleet.[1] SFBF is not affiliated with Golden Gate Ferry, which provides passenger ferry service to Marin County.
History
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is a government entity created by the California state legislature in 2007 by Senate Bill 976. The organization was formerly the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA), which the legislature established in 1999.[2]
WETA has assumed ferry service previously operated by the City of Alameda and Port of Oakland.[3] The ferry lines operated under the Alameda/Oakland Ferry and Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry names. Service to the city of South San Francisco began on 4 June 2012, which also coincided with use of the new San Francisco Bay Ferry name. Ferry service from Oakland began informally on the day of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when the Bay Bridge was closed and routes were put into place two days later.[4] WETA assumed control of the City of Vallejo's Baylink Ferry service on July 1, 2012.[5] Ferry service from Vallejo to San Francisco dates back to 1986.
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.[6][7]
WETA plans to establish new service from Berkeley and Richmond to San Francisco. Its long-term vision also includes service from San Francisco to Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, Redwood City, and Treasure Island.[8]
Routes
WETA currently operates regular passenger ferry service from Oakland and Alameda to the San Francisco Ferry Building, Pier 41, Angel Island, and Oyster Point in the city of South San Francisco. It also operates limited service from Vallejo, Oakland and Alameda to AT&T Park for San Francisco Giants baseball home games.
Free parking is available at the Oakland, Alameda, and South San Francisco ferry terminals. Paid parking is limited, but available, at San Francisco's ferry terminals.[9]
Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry
Service operates between the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal (on Bay Farm Island) and the Ferry Building. This service began in 1992 and was previously operated as the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry. The ferry line provides weekday rush-hour service only.
Monday to Friday Schedule:
Departs from Harbor Bay at 6:30am, 7:30am, 8:30am, 5:05pm, 6:05pm, 7:05pm
Departs from San Francisco Ferry building, Gate E (on South side of the Ferry Building, next to Sinbad) at 7:00am, 8:00am, 4:35pm, 5:35pm, 6:35pm, 7:35pm.
It takes 30 minutes to cross the bay.
With clipper card, fare is $5 each way. Without clipper card, individual one way tickets can be purchased on the boat at $6.25 for adult, and $3.25 for youth and seniors.
Alameda/Oakland Ferry
Daily service operates between Oakland, Alameda, and San Francisco. Limited, seasonal weekend service to Angel Island also is provided. This service began in 1989 and was previously operated as the Alameda/Oakland Ferry. Service is provided to these six terminals:
- Gateway Center, 2991 Main Street, Alameda
- Ayala Cove Ferry Terminal, Angel Island
- Clay Street Terminal, 530 Water Street, Jack London Square, Oakland
- China Basin Ferry Terminal, AT&T Park, San Francisco
- Ferry Building, San Francisco
- Pier 41, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
- Oyster Point, South San Francisco
South San Francisco
Service operates from Oyster Point in the city of South San Francisco. Service began to Alameda and Oakland on 4 June 2012 and was expanded to include San Francisco in April 2013. The ferry line provides weekday rush-hour service to Oakland and Alameda, as well as leisure service to San Francisco on a limited basis.[11][12] The South San Francisco location has approximately 40 parking spots.
Service is provided to these terminals:
- Gateway Center, 2991 Main Street, Alameda
- Clay Street Terminal, 530 Water Street, Jack London Square, Oakland
- Ferry Building, San Francisco
- Pier 41, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
Vallejo
Service operates between the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Vallejo Ferry Terminal under the SFBF and Baylink Ferry names. The Baylink Ferry brand originated in 1997 by the City of Vallejo, who operated the ferry service from circa 1988 through June 30, 2012.[5][13]
SolTrans provides a supplementary bus route, Route 200, between San Francisco and Vallejo.[14]
Richmond
Weekday commuter service from Richmond to San Francisco was approved for funding and planning in 2015 to become operational by 2018 at a remodeled Richmond Ferry Terminal, in Richmond's Marina Bay District.[15][16]
Annual Ridership
| FY* | Alameda/Oakland | Harbor Bay | 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% |
| Sources:[17][18][19][20] | ||||||
References
- ↑ "WATER EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY AWARDS FERRY OPERATING CONTRACT TO BLUE & GOLD FLEET" (PDF). Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ↑ About Us, WTA website, retrieved August 5, 2007
- ↑ "Q&A: Emergency Needs Prompt Ferry Changes," San Francisco Bay Crossings October 2007.
- ↑ https://watertransit.org/files/pubs/IOP%20or%20Programmatic%20EIR/IOP%20correct%20version/iop_response.pdf
- 1 2 http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/san-francisco-bay-ferry-assumes-operation-vallejo-baylink-ferry-service
- ↑ "WETA Strategic Plan". 2016.
- ↑ McGall, Andrew (September 14, 2015). "San Francisco Bay ferry rider surge fuels expansion dream". San Jose Mercury News.
- ↑ "Proposed Routes". San Francisco Bay Ferry. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ↑ http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/terminals
- ↑ http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/route/hbi/sffb
- ↑ http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/new-south-san-francisco-service-launches-june-4-2012
- ↑ http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/sfbf-expand-south-san-francisco-service
- ↑ http://www.baylinkferry.com/about/history.php
- ↑ http://baylinkferry.com/schedule/baylink-bus.php
- ↑ Officials showcase proposed Richmond commuter ferry, Spencer Whitley, Richmond Confidential, 22-06-2012, access date 03-07-2012
- ↑ Goldberg, Ted (November 18, 2015). "Richmond Ferry Service to San Francisco Inches Closer to Reality". KQED. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Short Range Transit Plan FY2012 – FY2021" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. 2012. Appendix A. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 29, 2013. Attachment 1. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. July 10, 2014. Attachment 1. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 3, 2015. Attachment 1. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
External links
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