SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), administrator of the San Francisco Bay Ferry, officially assumed operations of the City of Vallejo Baylink Ferry on July 1, 2012. The management transfer, which includes the complimentary 200 Bus service, does not involve any changes in schedules, fares, or existing crew assignments. Route 200 bus service on the Vallejo San Francisco route will continue to be operated by the Solano Transportation Authority (SolTrans) under contract to WETA.
The transfer of services from the City of Vallejo to San Francisco Bay Ferry comes four years after the California State Legislature directed WETA to assume the city’s Vallejo-San Francisco routes, in order to sustain viable transit options for the more than 600,000 annual passengers who rely on these public services. Since FY 2009, WETA has provided subsidies to the City of Vallejo ranging from $300,000 to $3.2 million annually to enable consistent transit services for Solano and Napa County commuters, as well as visitors purchasing transit-plus-admission packages to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Napa Valley Wine Train, Giants’ baseball, and other Bay Area attractions. Total combined ridership between July 1, 2011-May 31, 2012 was approximately 600,000 passengers. The total operating budget for the Vallejo system in FY 2012-2013 is $14.05 million.
“The state legislature mandated that WETA assume administrative and operational responsibilities for Baylink transit services as part of our charter to implement an integrated regional ferry system and related emergency response infrastructure,” said WETA Executive Director Nina Rannells. “Now that we have officially assumed operational and fiscal responsibilities, we look forward to continuing to work with passengers and community partners throughout Solano and Napa counties to ensure an efficient, convenient and sustainable passenger transit system over the long term.”
San Francisco Bay Ferry will continue to operate 11 ferry departures and five bus departures from Vallejo to San Francisco on weekdays, and seven round-trip ferry departures and one bus departure on weekends, as well as seasonal ferry service to Angel Island and AT&T Park. Service is provided from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal to San Francisco's Ferry Building, with select trips departing Pier 41 adjacent to Fisherman's Wharf. One-way adult fares are $13 per person; Youth, Senior and Disabled passenger fare is $6.50 one-way, with children under age 5 free. For more information and schedules, please visit www.sanfranciscobayferry.com.
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BAY FERRY
A public service of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), San Francisco Bay Ferry serves the San Francisco Ferry Building and Pier 39/Fisherman’s Wharf, Harbor Bay and Main Street in Alameda, and Oakland (Jack London Square), with seasonal service to AT&T Park and Angel Island. SF Bay Ferry launched weekday commute service between the East Bay and South San Francisco on June 4, 2012 and assumed operation of the Vallejo Baylink ferry/bus service on July 1. Working with community, civic and transit partners, WETA is actively evaluating the potential for future San Francisco Bay Ferry service to several other Bay Area locations, including Richmond, Berkeley, Treasure Island, Redwood City, Hercules, Martinez and Antioch.