Our history

In the early 1930s, a fleet of 50 ferries shuttled 50-60 million passengers across the Bay each year. With the construction of the Bay Bridge that same decade, ferry service saw a steep decline in interest and ridership, with just four public ferry boats serving the entire Bay Area in the late 1980s. That all changed in 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck, damaging the Bay Bridge and resulting in its closure for more than a month. During that time, traveling by ferry was the only way to cross the Bay.

The Loma Prieta earthquake is credited with renewing interest in water transit, and with gridlock on local freeways and bridges increasing in recent years, many Bay Area residents are looking for an alternative to crowded bridges, train cars and buses. For more than 20 years, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has been working to expand Bay Area public ferry service, while also preparing to respond to a major disaster that affects transbay transportation. Learn more about our history and what we’ve accomplished in the timeline below.

Timeline

1986

Vallejo Ferry Service Is Born, Thanks to an Animal Park

Marine World Africa USA – now known as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – moved from its site in Redwood City to Vallejo. To help visitors from San Francisco and the Peninsula get to the park, Marine World established ferry service between the Ferry Building and Vallejo. The City of Vallejo eventually took over this service, branding it as Vallejo BayLink.

1989

Loma Prieta Earthquake Disables Bay Bridge

On the evening of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, captains operating harbor cruises sprung into action, creating an impromptu ferry service carrying stranded commuters from the Ferry Building in San Francisco to a dock near Scott’s Seafood in Oakland’s Jack London Square. The vessels ran all night while BART inspected the Transbay Tube and emergency responders evacuated the City. This was effectively the rebirth of East Bay ferry service. In the coming months, local agencies worked to bring in ferries from Catalina Island and the Puget Sound to help support ferry service while the Bay Bridge was repaired. The City of Alameda eventually started the Alameda Oakland Ferry Service as a part of its transportation program. In the wake of the earthquake, the Vallejo BayLink service became more focused on commuters.

1999

State Legislature Creates Water Transit Authority (WTA)

The state legislature created the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA) to plan new and expanded ferry service and related ground facilities in the Bay Area.

2003

WTA Adopts Implementation and Operations Plan

WTA developed an Implementation and Operations Plan (IOP) and companion programmatic Environmental Impact Report, identifying seven new potential ferry routes.

WTA Adopts Implementation and Operations Plan

WTA developed an Implementation and Operations Plan (IOP) and companion programmatic Environmental Impact Report, identifying seven new potential ferry routes.

2004

Voters Approve RM2

Successful passage of Regional Measure 2 (RM2) in 2004 allocated local toll bridge funds for regional ferry system expansion.

2007

State Establishes San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) to Replace WTA

The governor signed SB 976, which created the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) as successor to WTA. It directed WETA to run a consolidated regional ferry system and prepare the system to respond to a natural or man-made disaster that disrupts bridge traffic in and out of San Francisco.

2008

CalOES Approves $25 Million Proposition 1B Funds to Support WETA Expansion Projects

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services approved $25 million in state Proposition 1B bond funds to support the design and construction of planned WETA ferry terminals, facilities and vessels to be made available to support emergency response transportation services in the region.

WETA Commissions Its Debut Vessels

The first two 225-passenger Gemini Class vessels, Gemini and Taurus, entered service, assisting the municipal-run Alameda Oakland Ferry Service. Two more vessels in the Gemini class, named Scorpio and Pisces, would follow in 2009. .

2009

WETA Delivers Transition Plan

WETA issued a Transition Plan as specified by recent legislation SB 1093, which laid out WETA’s plans for operating, financing and transferring city-run ferry services in Vallejo and Alameda to WETA.

Nina Rannells Appointed as Executive Director

Nina Rannells is appointed as WETA Executive Director, a position she would have until 2021.

WETA Expands Its Ferry Fleet

The final two 225-passenger Gemini Class vessels, Scorpio and Pisces, entered service.

2011

San Francisco Bay Ferry Brand Established

In preparation of relaunching unified East Bay ferry service, the WETA Board adopted a new consumer-facing brand for the agency: San Francisco Bay Ferry. The brand beat out other options including CityFish and Breez.

2012

Unified East Bay Ferry Service Launches

The Alameda Oakland Ferry Service, Harbor Bay Ferry Service, Vallejo BayLink and new service connecting the East Bay to South San Francisco launched under unified San Francisco Bay Ferry operations on July 1, 2012.

2013

Ferry Ridership Triples During BART Strike

San Francisco Bay Ferry’s ridership tripled as many Bay Area residents used the ferry system to commute to and from work. The BART strikes introduced many commuters to San Francisco Bay Ferry for the first time, creating a new group of loyal ferry commuters.

2014

SF Bay Ferry Implements Enhanced Service Schedules to Meet Growing Demand

SF Bay Ferry initiated the first of what will be a series of service increases in response to skyrocketing demand resulting from the booming economy.

2015

San Francisco Bay Ferry Ridership Increases 79% Over 5-Day Period During BART Closure

Over the five-day BART closure in the summer of 2015, San Francisco Bay Ferry carried 79 percent more passengers than normal compared to a similar five-day time period.

2016

WETA Approves Updated Emergency Response Plan

The WETA Board of Directors adopted an update to its Emergency Response Plan, which outlines WETA’s roles, responsibilities and procedures for coordinating the Bay Area water transportation response in the event of a catastrophic event, such as an earthquake.

WETA Opens Charlene Haught Johnson North Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility

WETA opens its first Operations and Maintenance Facility located on Mare Island.

WETA Completes Strategic Plan

The WETA Board of Directors approved the 2016 Strategic Plan, which sets forth a vision, mission and priorities for the next 20 years of San Francisco Bay Ferry service.

2017

WETA Expands its San Francisco Bay Ferry Fleet

WETA’s first two 400-passenger Hydrus Class vessels, Hydrus and Cetus, entered service. Sibling vessels Argo (2018) and Carina (2019) would join in the following years.

2018

WETA Opens Ron Cowan Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility

WETA opened its second Operations and Maintenance Facility in Alameda.

Voters Approve RM3

Voters in the nine-county Bay Area approved Regional Measure 3 (RM3), a bridge toll measure raising $300 million in capital funding and $35 million in annual operating funding for ferry expansion.

2019

Richmond Service Begins

Construction of the new Richmond Ferry terminal at Ford Point was completed and service was launched.

New Vallejo Ferries Arrive

WETA’s first two 445-passenger Pyxis Class vessels, Pyxis and Vela, entered service in 2019. The third, Lyra, followed in 2020. These were the first new ferries designed to serve the popular Vallejo ferry route in 15 years.

San Francisco Bay Ferry Serves 3 Million Passengers for the First Time Ever

In 2019, San Francisco Bay Ferry served a record-breaking three million passengers. This represents double the number of riders carried in the first year of unified East Bay service in 2013.

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Decimates Ridership

In the wake of public health orders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, SF Bay Ferry ridership plummeted 94% essentially overnight. The agency reduced service dramatically but did not lay off any skilled mariners or miss a single trip over the next four years due to staff shortages.

Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal Expansion is Completed

Construction of the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal was completed including two newly constructed gates, a refurbished gate and a beautiful 13,000-sf plaza designed for public use.

2021

Pandemic Recovery Program Launched

In July 2021, SF Bay Ferry launches its Pandemic Recovery Program, providing more service than pre-pandemic with fares 30% lower across the system in order to attract new riders and boost the local economy.

Alameda Seaplane Opens

As a part of the service relaunch, SF Bay Ferry began weekday service to the Alameda Seaplane Ferry Terminal, allowing direct commute service from Oakland to San Francisco for the first time.

2022

Dorado Debuts

Dorado, the first in a class of four versatile jet boats going the fleet, debuted in passenger service in June. It was joined in 2024 by Delphinus and will be joined by Karl (2025) and Zalophus (2026).

SF Bay Ferry Reports 99% Passenger Satisfaction

A third-party rider survey conducted in 2022 found 99% passenger satisfaction in the SF Bay Ferry experience, with 76% of respondents saying they were “very satisfied” with their ride. This is believed to be the highest passenger satisfaction rating for any transit operation in the nation.

2023

Clean Air Conversion Project Completed

The agency successfully completed its Gemini Class Clean Air Conversion Project, in which the four original WETA ferries were upgraded to the cleanest available engines, cutting emissions by 80%.

2024

A Sea Change Brews

In July the Sea Change, the world’s first commercial passenger ferry powered 100% by hydrogen fuel cells, debuted on SF Bay Ferry’s Pier 41 Short Hop route.

Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Launches to Acclaim

Along with partners at the City of Alameda, Alameda TMA and the Port of Oakland, SF Bay Ferry launched a pilot service connecting Jack London Square to Alameda Landing with more than 30 departures per day on a little yellow boat named Woodstock.