The first ferry set sail from the new Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal early Thursday, marking the launch of the revitalized San Francisco Bay Ferry service.
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s announced that with this relaunch, the ferry will be the first Bay Area transit agency to exceed its pre-pandemic level of service.
The revamp includes "lower fares, faster travel times between San Francisco and Oakland, and more weekday service than ever before," the agency said.
Ferry service expanded departures by 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with the help of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money.
"Today’s relaunch is putting us back on track," Jim Wunderman, Chair of the WETA Board of Directors said. "It will take time, but we are committed to taking aggressive steps to regain momentum, incentivize new and returning riders to get onboard, and reestablish this service as a critical part of the Bay Area’s mobility network."
The new Alameda terminal is the third within the city, and is expected to accelerate travel times for riders. There will also be more access to this terminal for both bike and bus connections.
"This will provide 20 minutes of reliable service from Alameda to San Francisco and back," Spokesperson Thomas Hall said.
The Alameda terminal will also make for shorter trips from Oakland because those ferries no longer have to stop by Alameda on their way to the city.
"It’s pretty cool because I’m tired of playing second fiddle to Oakland, because sometimes we have to go through Oakland to go to Alameda," Tyler Baker, one of the first passengers on the ferry, told KCBS Radio. "Oakland’s cool, but it just slows your whole trip down."
Related
