BUILDING THE FERRY SYSTEM BACK BETTER
As the Bay Area looks ahead to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, how will the ferry system rebound?

WETA, the agency that provides San Francisco Bay Ferry service, took a major step toward planning for pandemic recovery recently, adopting 13 core principles that will guide service and fare decisions going forward.

  • Enhancing equity and access to ferry service for Bay Area residents, including expanding access for transit-dependent riders
  • Phasing in increased service levels and competitive fares to incentivize demand and support the region’s economic recovery
  • Pursuing coordinated fare strategies and better connectivity with other Bay Area transit operators

 
We want to hear from our former, current and future riders. A public outreach effort to discuss future service plans and potential fare changes is coming soon. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts with us on these principles and service priorities at comeback@sanfranciscobayferry.com.
REDWOOD CITY FERRY PROJECT MOVES TO NEXT STEP
Potential future Redwood City ferry service is moved closer to reality after the governing boards of WETA, the Port of Redwood City and the City of Redwood City all recently accepted positive feasibility study results.

The next step is the development of a business plan, which will identify funding scenarios, service plans and last-mile connection support. While the project remains in its early stages of development and consideration, the feasibility finding is an important step.

Proposed ferry service would connect Redwood City to San Francisco and/or Oakland. It could potentially launch as early as 2024.

See WETA’s press release about the positive progress for Redwood City ferry service. Learn more about the feasibility study and proposed project at the Port’s website.
WETA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NINA RANNELLS RETIRES
After 12 years of service leading WETA, and more than 30 years in Bay Area public transportation, Executive Director Nina Rannells officially retired on January 31, 2021. Nina is a leading female transportation executive who pioneered ferry expansion and growth in the Bay Area. Under her leadership WETA:

  • Secured $465 million in regional, state and federal investments for ferry vessels and infrastructure in the Bay Area
  • Built core system maintenance and operations facilities in Vallejo and Alameda
  • Built 11 new high-speed ferry vessels with four more now under construction
  • Built new South San Francisco and Richmond ferry terminals and launched services
  • Increased San Francisco Bay Ferry ridership 100 percent serving 3.2 million passengers annually
  • Expanded the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal
  • Developed the region’s emergency water transit response plan

Congratulations, Nina. We wish you a happy and fulfilling retirement!
WETA AWARDED $4.9 MILLION IN EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) allocated additional federal relief funds to WETA to help the agency avoid layoffs of skilled maritime labor, preserve current San Francisco Bay Ferry service levels for essential transbay travel and make resources available to phase in additional service as the region recovers and reopens.

The $4.9 million allocation is part of the region’s first $180 million allocation of funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA). MTC will consider allocating additional CRRSSA funds in March.
CURRENT SCHEDULE IN EFFECT ON PRESIDENT'S DAY
San Francisco Bay Ferry will run its current weekday schedule on the Vallejo, Alameda/Oakland and Richmond routes on Presidents’ Day, which falls on Monday, February 15. You can find our current schedules at sanfranciscobayferry.com/ferry-schedules.
A MOST CURIOUS ISLAND SEEN FROM THE VALLEJO FERRY
Red Rock Island, visible on San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Vallejo route, is the only privately owned island in the San Francisco Bay. It can be found just south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Northbound ferries destined for Vallejo come closest to the island, though you can also see it on southbound trips off the port side of the ferry on clear days.

Because Red Rock Island was established as a triangulation point by surveyors in 1850, it hosts three different counties. Four acres of the island are in Contra Costa County, 1.5 acres are in San Francisco County, and less than a tenth of an acre is in Marin County. The Contra Costa portion of the island is within Richmond city limits, so the cities of San Francisco and Richmond technically share a land border on Red Rock Island.

So how much does a private island in the San Francisco Bay go for? According to news reports, in 2012 the owners listed the island for $22 million, but later reduced the price to $9 million. Before the island could be sold, the owner passed away and no sale was made. Today, it is reportedly owned by his son who lives in Alaska.
PILOT PROJECT PROVIDES CREATIVE WAYFINDING AT DOWNTOWN S.F. TERMINAL
The region is advancing efforts to provide consistent signage and wayfinding throughout the Bay Area’s transit network. To support this, WETA partnered with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to deploy a regional mapping and wayfinding pilot program at the newly expanded Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal.

Bright, clear signage has been installed at Gates E, F and G to provide ferry riders and others in the area with crucial information on transit options and connections. The intent is for standard mapping and styles to be used through the Bay Area’s vast and often complicated public transit system, creating a less intimidating and more seamless transit experience for new riders.

The signs in Downtown S.F. are oriented to provide disembarking passengers with information on nearby transit connections and destinations easily accessible by foot or bicycle. Those arriving at the terminal from the surrounding area are greeted with a ferry system map, schedules and fare information. If the region pursues wider adoption of a comprehensive wayfinding program in the future, ferry passengers would see similar signs and maps when they step up the boat at their destination.
MEET THE FLEET
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