South City ferry finally sails in, will charge $7
By: Will Reisman | 04/05/12 8:53 AM
SF Examiner Staff Writer

Ferry service between South San Francisco and the East Bay is set to begin this summer after years of delays, and passengers can get information on how much the ride will cost.

The Water Emergency Transportation Authority, which operates the ferry, has proposed one-way fares of $7. Seniors, youths and the disabled will pay $3.50 fares, and children under 5 ride free. The trip clocks in at 35 minutes.

Nina Rannells, executive director of the water authority, said the fare proposal was reached after receiving feedback from more than 200 potential riders. She also said it was comparable to other Bay-crossing transit systems — the fare for a similar trip via BART, including a shuttle and parking fees, can cost up to $6.40, and ferry service from Oakland to San Francisco is $6.25.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2012/04/south-city-ferry-finally-sails-will-charge-7#ixzz1rkzRcEyb

Ferry Service map

http://www.trilliumtransit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/baycrossings1.png
http://www.trilliumtransit.com/blog/2009/02/18/san-francisco-bay-ferries-passengers-have-a-new-way-to-look-up-schedule-information/

Water taxis could come soon to a pier near you

For those who wish they could see San Francisco’s waterfront without the slow pedestrians and honking cars, zipping from pier to pier may soon be a reality.

After talking about it for nearly three years, the Port of San Francisco is finally planning to start a water taxi service in time for a handful of big events on the Embarcadero next year, such as the America’s Cup, the port’s 150th anniversary, the opening of the Exploratorium, the completion of the Brannan Street wharf and the construction of the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal.

The port plans to start looking for a vendor in May. As explained in an informational presentation to the Port Commission Tuesday, the service would ideally consist of 60-foot-long vessels, with about 50 people each, traveling up and down the shore. Stops would include South Beach Harbor, Pier 1 1/2 and Fisherman’s Wharf . . . .
Source: http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2012/04/10/water-taxis-could-come-soon-to-a-pier-near-you/?plckItemsPerPage=50&plckSort=TimeStampDescending&plckFindCommentKey=CommentKey:af41726b-9880-4d2d-9b4b-db1390d14f56

Water Taxi Map
http://www.socketsite.com/SF%20Water%20Taxi%20Map.jpg
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2012/04/water_taxi_service_for_san_francisco_take_two.html

Ferry Terminal Expansion Project

Current:
http://www.watertransit.org/files/DTFX/DTFXprojectarea_sm.jpg
Proposed:
http://www.watertransit.org/files/DTFX/SiteplanPhase3.jpg
Images from WETA (http://www.watertransit.org/default.aspx)

New East Bay-South S.F. ferry service starts

Michael Cabanatuan

Monday, June 4, 2012

One of the Bay Area's more annoying commutes by transit or car - from the East Bay to the Peninsula - is about to become one of the more pleasant. On Monday, passenger ferry service will start running between Alameda and Oakland and South San Francisco.

Instead of clutching their steering wheels as they inch across the Bay Bridge, or scurrying between BART, Muni and Caltrain, East Bay residents bound for jobs in the growing South San Francisco employment hubs will be able to clutch cocktails or cups of coffee, sit back and enjoy the view.

The new ferry service is the first in the Bay Area since the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry began operations in 1992, and it's the first step in a grander scheme to eventually have ferries running as far east as Antioch, as far south as Redwood City and with regular service between the Ferry Building and Treasure Island.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/03/BAMG1ORM12.DTL#ixzz1wqLSgSsh

Looks like the Richmond Ferry is next.

RICHMOND SCOPING MEETING
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority invites you to attend a public scoping meeting for the proposed Richmond Ferry Terminal and Service. Meeting details are below.

Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012
Meeting One: 4:30 p.m.
Meeting Two: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, Harbormaster Room, 1340 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804

Source: http://www.watertransit.org/

Source: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/

Clipper® and San Francisco Bay Ferry Celebrate Expanded Clipper Service with Free “Coffee, Cookies and Clipper” Events

Contact:
John Goodwin, 510-817-5862

Oakland, CA, September 26, 2012... Clipper, the all-in-one transit card accepted on all major Bay Area transit systems, is expanding service to the Alameda/Oakland/San Francisco and Harbor Bay/San Francisco ferry routes this month. On select days in October, San Francisco Bay Ferry passengers on these routes can receive a free Clipper card (normally $3) that they can custom load with passes, multi-ride tickets, and cash for the transit systems they ride.

Join Clipper customer service staff on board select ferries and enjoy complimentary coffee and cookies in celebration of the expanded service. Free “Coffee, Cookies and Clipper” events will take place on Monday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 2 on board the following ferries:

Alameda/Oakland/San Francisco route – all ferries departing San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Main Street between 4:10 and 8:55 p.m.
Harbor Bay/San Francisco route – all ferries departing San Francisco and Alameda Harbor Bay between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m.
With this expanded service, ferry riders can use Clipper on three of San Francisco Bay Ferry’s routes: Alameda/Oakland/San Francisco, Harbor Bay/San Francisco, and Alameda/Oakland/South San Francisco.

“We’re excited that ferry riders can now experience the convenience of Clipper on more routes,” said Carol Kuester, director of Electronic Payments for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). “We’ll be riding the ferries on several days in October and hope commuters will join us for coffee and cookies, pick up their free Clipper card and learn about the advantages the card offers.”

In addition to the “Coffee, Cookies and Clipper” events, Clipper staff will be on hand to distribute free Clipper cards on the following days:

Wednesday, October 10: Harbor Bay/San Francisco route – all ferries departing San Francisco and Alameda Harbor Bay between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 11: Alameda/Oakland/San Francisco route – all ferries departing San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Main Street between 4:10 and 8:55 p.m.
About Clipper
Clipper is a project of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Clipper is also accepted on BART, Muni, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, Caltrain, SamTrans and VTA.

For more information about Clipper, go to clippercard.com or call Customer Service at 877.878.8883.

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/press_releases/rel581.htm

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/

Antioch raises new concerns about elusive ferry project

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times
Posted: 10/03/2012 03:12:25 PM PDT
Updated: 10/04/2012 05:17:10 AM PDT

ANTIOCH -- City leaders here are worried that their downtown ferry terminal aspirations may be left out at sea.

The latest plan from the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, or WETA, spells out $398.6 million in Bay Area ferry system improvements over the next decade, but just $751,200 for environmental studies for an Antioch terminal -- effectively ruling out development of the site until 2021, said Victor Carniglia, a city-hired consultant.
The water transportation authority will consider approving the plan, which is required by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, at its meeting Thursday.

The "business plan" represents what the agency needs to operate over the next 10 years, based on "what is known today," said Nina Rannells, WETA's executive director. The document is reviewed every four years, or earlier if circumstances change considerably, she said.

"It's our tool of communicating to MTC the status of our system, the projects we anticipate needing to implement to maintain and sustain our current system and carry out near-term planned expansion projects with identified operating sources," Rannells said.

Projects named in the plan include expanding the ferry's hub in downtown San Francisco, rehabilitating and replacing some vessels and adding new ferry terminals in Berkeley and Richmond.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_21691278/antioch-raises-new-concerns-about-elusive-ferry-project

I think that a good ferry service for Antioch would be:

Antioch-Berkeley (or Richmond)-San Francisco (off-peak and weekends)
Antioch-San Francisco (peak)

That way, ferries can be utilized more efficiently rather than dedicating one ferry to and from Antioch. Plus, I believe that it would mean Clipper will finally reach Antioch and nearby communities indeed after BART at Pittsburg/Bay Point.

I think that a good ferry service for Antioch would be:

Antioch-Berkeley (or Richmond)-San Francisco (off-peak and weekends)
Antioch-San Francisco (peak)

That way, ferries can be utilized more efficiently rather than dedicating one ferry to and from Antioch. Plus, I believe that it would mean Clipper will finally reach Antioch and nearby communities indeed after BART at Pittsburg/Bay Point.

WETA is proposing a Antioch-Martinez route to SF. I don't know if it's for refueling, but Martinez is good stop since it's around the half way point between SF-Antioch. WETA is estimating that it will take 2 hours from SF-Antioch and 1 hour from Martinez-SF. A stop from Berkeley or Richmond will make that trip longer because you no longer have a straight route down to SF after the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. http://watertransit.org/proposedRoutes/antioch_overview.aspx

The Berkeley ferry will and should have it's own dedicated ferry service. I can imagine that the SF-Berkeley ferry will have a higher ridership and the ride will be 22 minutes according to WETA. http://watertransit.org/proposedRoutes/berkeley_overview.aspx

I think it's much more efficient this way since you can have 2 ferries for the SF-Antioch (a ferry every hour). 2 ferries for SF-Berkeley (a ferry every 10-15 minutes).

WETA is proposing a Antioch-Martinez route to SF. I don't know if it's for refueling, but Martinez is good stop since it's around the half way point between SF-Antioch. WETA is estimating that it will take 2 hours from SF-Antioch and 1 hour from Martinez-SF. A stop from Berkeley or Richmond will make that trip longer because you no longer have a straight route down to SF after the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. http://watertransit.org/proposedRoutes/antioch_overview.aspx

The Berkeley ferry will and should have it's own dedicated ferry service. I can imagine that the SF-Berkeley ferry will have a higher ridership and the ride will be 22 minutes according to WETA. http://watertransit.org/proposedRoutes/berkeley_overview.aspx

I think it's much more efficient this way since you can have 2 ferries for the SF-Antioch (a ferry every hour). 2 ferries for SF-Berkeley (a ferry every 10-15 minutes).

I don't think Martinez is the halfway point for the Antioch-SF service because Antioch to Martinez takes around 15 minutes via Highway 4. I'd say for the ferry, Antioch to Martinez takes 20 to 30 minutes. I imagine that for a full hour, it would be Antioch to Hercules or Richmond because the ferry needs to go through the Carquinez Strait first before entering San Pablo Bay. I think what makes more sense would be a stop in Richmond or Hercules as an alternative to Martinez since it would speed up service... and that Hercules could be a good stop since it will be connection to Amtrak.

I've made a few maps of the ferry routes we have in the Bay Area and it's about the half way mark. I never said the trip from Martinez to Antioch was going to take an hour. I said Martinez to SF will take an hour. I think you fail to realize that once the ferry arrives at Martinez, it doesn't immediately leave. It has to stay at the dock for a few minutes to pick up passengers. Comparing a car trip to a ferry isn't a very good idea. Cars can travel 60mph+ in the freeways while the ferries Antioch-SF will travel about 34knots which is around 39mph (this is based on the Vallejo Baylink ferries). An hour from Martinez to SF is a good estimate since the Vallejo ferry takes about an hour to get to SF.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8309/7999987992_89b983e9ab_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjprz/7999987992/)
San Francisco Bay Area Ferry Map (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjprz/7999987992/) by TJPrz (http://www.flickr.com/people/tjprz/), on Flickr

I've made a few maps of the ferry routes we have in the Bay Area and it's about the half way mark. I never said the trip from Martinez to Antioch was going to take an hour. I said Martinez to SF will take an hour. I think you fail to realize that once the ferry arrives at Martinez, it doesn't immediately leave. It has to stay at the dock for a few minutes to pick up passengers. Comparing a car trip to a ferry isn't a very good idea. Cars can travel 60mph+ in the freeways while the ferries Antioch-SF will travel about 34knots which is around 39mph (this is based on the Vallejo Baylink ferries). An hour from Martinez to SF is a good estimate since the Vallejo ferry takes about an hour to get to SF.

[/URL]
[URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjprz/7999987992/"]San Francisco Bay Area Ferry Map (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjprz/7999987992/) by TJPrz (http://www.flickr.com/people/tjprz/), on Flickr
I stand corrected on that one. What I meant was that Martinez to Antioch on a ferry will not take a full hour; I meant that if there can be a ferry that can reach Antioch in an hour, it would mean that the ferry would be somewhere between Hercules or Richmond to start with.

Source: www.sfexaminer.com

South San Francisco ferry service off to rocky start
By: Will Reisman | 11/12/12 7:42 PM
SF Examiner Staff Writer

It’s still early, but the new ferry service between South San Francisco and the East Bay will have to make a lot of improvements to maintain its generous funding subsidies.

The service, which launched in June, receives about $2.7 million annually from Bay Area bridge toll funds administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the region’s lead transit agency. However, those funds are contingent on the ferry achieving certain service standards related to its farebox recovery rate — a measure that determines how much of its operating cost is reimbursed through passenger fares.

Under the terms of its agreement with the MTC, San Francisco Bay Ferry — the regional agency in charge of the service — is supposed to maintain a 30 percent farebox recovery rate. After a month of operation, it was at 7.3 percent, a mark that has raised concern at the MTC.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/11/south-san-francisco-ferry-service-rocky-start#ixzz2CB2zMv9y

^^ I think a good suggestion would be to operate the current Oakland - South City service via San Francisco Ferry Building on the reverse commute (AM to the East Bay, PM to S San Francisco) so that the loads can improve, thus increasing its farebox recovery rate. Another suggestion: cut down the ferry rate to like $5 so that more people can use the service.