San Francisco Bay Ferry Sets an All-Time Daily Ridership Record
San Francisco Bay Ferry carried an average of 10,992 passengers a day in June 2026, the highest monthly average in the agency’s history, according to preliminary figures it released on July 8. The previous record, 10,729 riders a day, had stood since August 2019.
June’s total came to nearly 330,000 passengers, up 16 percent from June 2025. It was the seventh consecutive month the agency beat its pre-pandemic ridership, and year-over-year ridership has now risen for 60 straight months. Across the budget year running from July 2025 through June 2026, the ferries carried 3.25 million passengers, 7 percent above the pre-pandemic record.
The agency attributes the growth to weekday commute trips and to extra service for large events, including June’s San Francisco Pride parade.
“No one wants to sit in gridlock,” said Jim Wunderman, chair of the SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors, in the announcement. “Reliable, safe and affordable ferry service gives local travelers a better option.”
Which ferry is which
San Francisco Bay Ferry is a regional public transit agency, and it is not the only boat operator on the bay, which is a common point of confusion for visitors. Its routes connect San Francisco with Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, South San Francisco, and Vallejo, and they run from the Downtown San Francisco terminal at the Ferry Building. Golden Gate Ferry, a separate agency, operates the Sausalito and Larkspur routes. Alcatraz trips leave from Pier 33 under a National Park Service concession and are booked separately.
Fares and riding
Fares rose on all regular routes on July 1, 2026. The agency continues its Clipper Access and START discount programs. Fares can be paid with a Clipper card, the SF Bay Ferry app, or cash or card on board.
SF Bay Ferry also runs event service to Oracle Park and Chase Center, and through October 2026 it is putting free live music on the Richmond route on the last Friday of each month, a program it calls Tides and Tunes. Current timetables for each route are on the agency’s schedules page.
Figures and quotes from San Francisco Bay Ferry’s July 8, 2026 announcement, with fare and service details from the agency’s website.
Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
