Update on Service Reliability

UPDATE ON SERVICE RELIABILITY

As frequent riders likely noticed, SF Bay Ferry faced serious reliability issues in January and early February. Here’s an update on the state of the fleet and where we stand going forward.

Beginning in late December, several vessels experienced mechanical issues, shrinking the size of our ready fleet. We need 11 vessels to operate our full weekday schedule and seven to operate on weekends. Some mechanical issues were minor failures easily repaired within a couple of hours. Some of the issues were more serious, requiring major repairs and specialized support.

These problems led to 59 cancellations in January. Our operations team did everything in its power to minimize disruption on peak-direction trips by shifting crews around and even bringing in a non-SF Bay Ferry vessel to help supplement service. These cancellations represented 1.3% of all SF Bay Ferry trips in January.

We know that every cancellation is a huge inconvenience for riders, and we’re committed to improving reliability in our fleet and creatively solving problems. In addition, MV Delphinus – the 17^th ferry in our fleet – will come online within the next two weeks, helping add some resilience.

Mechanical issues will occasionally happen at inopportune times, leading to service disruptions. We encourage all riders to sign up for text message or email alerts for the routes and days they use the ferry. We will continue to do everything we can to minimize disruptions to your lives.

Thank you for riding. Please send us any feedback you have.

ENJOYING FREE COFFEE? PAY IT FORWARD AT LOCAL FOOD BANKS

SF Bay Ferry riders now enjoy free coffee on all weekday morning trips, making the Best Way to Cross the Bay even better. As a part of the free coffee promotion, we’re recruiting passengers to participate in our Pay It Forward campaign through virtual food drives with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

Passengers can support the campaign through QR codes found near the coffee stations on the ferries or the campaign page on sanfranciscobayferry.com. Passengers have already donated hundreds of dollars to the food banks.

In addition to free coffee, SF Bay Ferry has upgraded its complimentary Wi-Fi onboard the fleet, allowing commuters to stay connected during their ride. Be sure to check it out if you need to catch up on emails or your favorite binge-watch. Just make sure to bring your earbuds and keep the sound to yourself.

SEEKING FEEDBACK ON AFTERNOON VALLEJO SCHEDULES

SF Bay Ferry is considering changes to its northbound weekday Vallejo schedule and wants to hear from current and potential riders. Passenger feedback will be one of several factors influencing potential schedule changes.

Please fill out the short survey on sanfranciscobayferry.com and share it with fellow riders or potential riders.

CLIPPER START IS 50% OFF ALL LOCAL TRANSIT

Clipper START is now offering 50% off on all Bay Area transit service for eligible residents ages 19-64.

Clipper START is a discount program developed to increase affordability and ensure that public transit in the Bay Area remains equitable and accessible. SF Bay Ferry has offered a 50% discount for Clipper START participants since 2022. Beginning in 2024, other transit operators matched that 50% discount level. As a result, participation in the program is increasing.

Once approved for the START program, which requires low-stress income eligibility verification, riders will receive a Clipper START card that will automatically apply each agency’s discount fare on use—just load value, tap and go.

For more information about the program, qualifications and available discounts, visit clipperstartcard.com.

IMPROVING BAY AREA TRANSIT SIGNAGE AND WAYFINDING

Bay Area transit’s ongoing transformation into a more connected, more efficient and more customer-focused mobility network has taken another big step forward: regional agencies recently unveiled design protoypes for a common set of signs to be used by all agencies at all locations — from individual bus stops to major hubs where multiple systems connect.

These prototypes will be installed later this year at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and the nearby Santa Rosa SMART station.

To establish and reinforce a common identity for all Bay Area transit services, the new signage employs a three-color palette of golden yellow, sky blue and dark blue; as well as simple icons to identify service by trains, buses or ferries. These icons are larger and more visually prominent than the logos of the individual agencies providing the services at each location.

The modal icons and the three-color palette will be extended to a new mobile-friendly website to which passengers can connect via QR codes at each bus stop, train station or ferry terminal, providing real-time information along with accessibility features such as audio descriptions and language translation.

This signage and wayfinding effort is one of many ways the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and transit operators including SF Bay Ferry are collaborating to improve transit coordination and center customer experience. Stay tuned for other efforts in the pipeline.

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