NEW SCHEDULES NOW IN EFFECT, SOUTH S.F. AND ALAMEDA SHORT HOP LAUNCH
San Francisco Bay Ferry put new schedules into effect on November 8, making tweaks to improve reliability across the Alameda Seaplane, Harbor Bay, Oakland & Alameda, Richmond and Vallejo routes. The overall number of departures remained the same from schedules in place in July 2021. The biggest impacts were to weekend Vallejo service.

Also on November 8, San Francisco Bay Ferry resumed service on the South San Francisco route with connections to Oakland and Main Street Alameda. There are three trips available in the peak direction in mornings and afternoons, with one reverse commute trip in each window.

San Francisco Bay Ferry also launched its weekday Alameda Short Hop service, providing robust connections between Main Street Alameda and Oakland during the peak commute windows on weekdays. Fares are just $1 on this route with Clipper or mobile tickets, and it’s a great option for Alamedans commuting to or visiting Jack London Square or Downtown Oakland.

See our full updated schedules on our website.
DISCOVER FLAVORS, ATTRACTIONS AND MORE NEAR FERRY STOPS
WETA, the agency that provides San Francisco Bay Ferry service, is proud to celebrate the unique offerings and flavors around its ferry terminals in a new campaign that launched this week. The campaign, called Discover San Francisco Bay Ferry, will highlight local businesses, attractions and events located near ferry terminals with new themed additions every month.

For November, the Discover San Francisco Bay Ferry campaign is highlighting vegan sandwiches just a 10-minute walk from the Oakland Ferry Terminal, a coffee shop near the Vallejo Ferry Terminal and a pair of ferry-adjacent farmer’s markets.

Check out all of the highlighted attractions at sanfranciscobayferry.com/discover.
CURIOUS SITES: RICHMOND-SAN RAFAEL BRIDGE

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge, is a 5.5-mile span that connects Richmond to San Rafael. Multiple proposals for a toll bridge that connected Marin and Contra Costa Counties were submitted from 1927–1929, including a design with a center rail line and a bridge that connected Albany to Tiburon. However, momentum for construction didn’t begin until 1949 when the County of Marin and City of Richmond commissioned a preliminary engineering report which concluded that a bridge would be feasible. With a budget of $62 million (equivalent to $590 million in 2020), construction began in 1953, and the first car drove across the span on September 1, 1956. 
 
The new span was an important addition to the Bay Area bridge network, but ultimately led to the demise of the Richmond-San Rafael Ferry and Transportation Company. The Richmond-San Rafael Ferry Company carried passengers between Castro Point in Richmond and San Quentin in Marin County from 1924 until the Richmond-San Rafael bridge opened in 1956.
FERRY TALES: MICHELLE

Michelle rides the Vallejo ferry into San Francisco and enjoys avoiding traffic and the ‘no-fuss cocktails’ served on board. Her favorite view is of the ‘mysterious lighthouse’ (East Brother Lighthouse) that the ferry passes mid-trip. If Melissa had to describe San Francisco Bay Ferry in one word, it would be romantic.