Independent Alameda News. Support us!

SF Bay Ferry Boarding and Ticketing Changes

Be ready for changes starting August 10

The way you board a San Francisco Bay Ferry and pay your fare is going to change next month. Starting August 10, all passengers will be required to show proof of fare when boarding the ferry. This is being done to speed up the disembarkation process at ferry terminals.

Alameda Post - A young girl rides the San Francisco Bay Ferry
Taurus Ferry Launch. Photo Noah Berger courtesy SF Bay Ferry.

For Clipper users, this won’t change anything. Passengers will continue to tag on when boarding the ferry and tag off when exiting.

SF Bay Ferry app users with mobile tickets will activate their tickets when queued up and show it to the deckhand at the gate. Paper ticket holders will hand the ticket to the deckhand at the gate when boarding.

Passengers without ferry tickets will have to follow a different procedure. Those who arrive at the terminal without a Clipper card, mobile ticket from the Sf Bay Ferry app, or paper ticket won’t simply board and get in line to buy a ticket. Instead, deckhands will take the passenger’s name and party size and provide a ticket slip. Then you’ll board the ferry and go to the ticket counter on board to purchase tickets.

When the ferry arrives at its destination, all passengers may disembark without any further ticket checks. Clipper users will still need to tag off to ensure they are charged the correct fare. Otherwise, Clipper charges the highest-fare route, which is currently Vallejo at $9.30. Tagging off assures that the correct amount is charged to the Clipper card.

Ferry staff will be on-site during the transition to help assist passengers with questions.

KQED Curated Content
Thanks for reading the

Nonprofit news isn’t free.

Will you take a moment to support Alameda’s only local news source?