Alameda Ferry Traffic More Than Doubles on First Morning of BART Strike

Alamedans took to the water Friday morning, with more than double the usual number of passengers boarding ferries for the commute to San Francisco on the first day of the BART strike.

San Francisco Bay Ferry officials said ridership on the Alameda-Oakland route to San Francisco was 1,405, compared to a weekday average of 869 passengers. The figures include those boarding at Jack London Square in Oakland as well as at Alameda's Main Street Terminal.

On the Harbor Bay line, the increase was even greater: 1,324 passengers Friday morning vs. 500 on an average morning.

'With the help of the SF Bay Ferry crew and our transportation partners, the Blue and Gold Fleet and the Golden Gate Ferry, we more than doubled our average morning passenger load,” said Ernest Sanchez, manager of public information and marketing for San Francisco Bay Ferry.

Systemwide, including morning departures from Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco and Vallelo, the ferries carried 7,150 passengers on the first morning of the strike by BART employees. That compares to 2,694 riders on a recent average weekday morning, officials said.

San Francisco Bay Ferry is a service of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA).

For more information on ferry service, including weekend schedules, visit www.sanfranciscobayferry.com. 

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