San Francisco Bay Ferry announced this week that it carried 2.6 million passengers in 2024, a 16% increase over 2023. The ferry system’s average daily ridership of 7,148 passengers per day in 2024 represents a recovery to 90% of pre-pandemic levels, one of the highest rates for any regional transit operator. Over the last six months of 2024, SF Bay Ferry ridership reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels.
“We continue to see strong growth in ferry ridership thanks to our strategic decisions to adopt competitive fares and enhanced schedules in addition to the unique benefits of water transit,” said Jim Wunderman, Chair of the SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors. “We’re encouraged by the growth and expect to continue the upswing in 2025.”
The agency saw ridership gains from several areas:
- Peak morning commute ridership grew 14% compared to 2023.
- Weekend ridership grew 12% and sits at 115% of 2019 levels.
- All transbay routes experienced at least 10% year-over-year ridership growth, with the Richmond and Harbor Bay routes experiencing 20% annual growth in 2024.
SF Bay Ferry also launched three pilot services in 2024—the Redwood City Ballpark Pilot, the Sea Change Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Project, and the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle. These pilot services carried a combined 55,000 passengers during the year.
A 2024 customer survey found that the top five reasons passengers choose the ferry over driving or other modes of transportation were:
- To have a more relaxing commute.
- To avoid traffic.
- To protect the environment.
- To use their commute time more productively .
- To save money.
San Francisco Bay Ferry is a regional public transit agency tasked with developing, operating, and expanding ferry service on the San Francisco Bay and with coordinating the water transit response to regional emergencies. The agency operates ferry routes connecting the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Vallejo. More information is available online.
