CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS ON THE 'MERRY FERRY'

Crews and staff decorated MV Carina for its Dec. 2 participation in the 2023 Estuary Lighted Yacht Parade. More than 300 passengers took the special trip to and from Alameda’s Seaplane Lagoon terminal, enjoying the holiday cheer and the other brightly lit boats illuminating the Estuary. Carina will keep her festive decor through the holidays, and you can track her here to catch a ride!

If you ride or spot our Merry Ferry out on the water, share your photos with us. Tag @sanfranciscobayferry on facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #merryferry. In early January, we’ll select two winners from Facebook and two from Instagram, each to receive a 4-pack of free ferry ride tickets to use in the New Year.

We’re also celebrating the holidays this year with San Francisco Bay Ferry’s first-ever holiday ornament, featuring our MV Bay Breeze in front of the iconic Ferry Building. Ornaments will be on sale on select ferry rides for $20 (keep an eye out on social media for the sale schedule). You can also pick them up at the Bay Crossings shop in the Ferry Building for $25 while supplies last.

INTRODUCING REAL-TIME INFO AT TERMINALS

We’re officially live with better and more accurate passenger information at all ferry terminals in the San Francisco Bay Ferry system. Digital terminal signs now display both real-time departures based on the vessels’ GPS location as well as Rider Alerts as they are published if a service delay or disruption occurs.

Since 2021 we’ve been working to introduce more tools to help connect ferry riders to better, more accurate trip information via our improved Bay Alerts text notification system, San Francisco Bay Ferry mobile app and now real-time service information displayed directly at every terminal.

If you’re a frequent rider, make sure to sign up for real-time alerts via text message or email. You can select which routes, days and times you ride so that you only receive alerts relevant to you.

$16 MILLION FOR FERRY TERMINAL ELECTRIFICATION

On November 30, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez visited San Francisco to announce $16 million in grants for San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission-Free (REEF) Ferry Program. The funds will be used to electrify two passenger floats at the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal, as well as the floats at Main Street Alameda and Alameda Seaplane.

The agency has now secured more than $115 million in local, state and federal funding for the REEF Ferry Program. Construction on the first electrified float and battery-electric vessels is expected to begin in 2024.

WETA, the agency that operates San Francisco Bay Ferry service, has selected Wärtsilä, a global leader in power, propulsion and lifecycle solutions for the marine market, as its electrification systems integrator for the REEF Ferry Program, ensuring technology and equipment used for the battery-electric vessels and infrastructure work seamlessly together to maximize system flexibility, resilience and cost-effectiveness.

Elliott Bay Design Group, based in Seattle, has been selected as the design and construction management firm for a set of new 300-passenger battery-electric vessels. Aurora Marine Design, based in San Diego, will serve that role for a class of smaller battery-electric vessels to serve the San Francisco waterfront, including Mission Bay and Treasure Island, as well as consult on the overall zero-emission system architecture.