TEMPORARY LOWER FARES, NEW SCHEDULES COMING IN JULY
On April 1, the WETA Board of Directors approved the agency’s Pandemic Recovery Program, which means temporary lower fares and new, more flexible schedules are coming to San Francisco Bay Ferry starting in July. The program is an effort to rebuild ferry ridership as the Bay Area re-opens.

Fares that will go into effect in July are posted at sanfranciscobayferry.com/recovery. Schedules will be released in May. Increases in off-peak service are coming to allow more Bay Area residents to take advantage of the ferry for transbay travel.

The program also includes resumption of the Harbor Bay ferry route and weekend service for routes serving Vallejo, Oakland, Alameda and Richmond in July. The new Alameda Seaplane route and direct Oakland commute service to San Francisco are slated to begin in August. South San Francisco ferry service will resume in October.

Learn more here.
FERRY RIDERSHIP INCREASES, SEATS STILL AVAILABLE
San Francisco Bay Ferry ridership grew 65% between January and March and the final week of March saw the ferry system’s highest ridership in more than a year. However despite the growing ridership numbers and continued capacity restrictions to ensure social distancing, seats remain available on all departures.

WETA has continued to post seat availability charts each week to help passengers have peace of mind about crowding concerns. The 4:30 p.m. San Francisco departure to Vallejo is the only trip regularly near maximum capacity; for passengers wishing to take that trip, we recommend arriving a little early to ensure you can get a seat on board. As ridership continues to grow, we recommend checking the charts each week to see if your preferred departures are being impacted.
CURIOUS SITES SEEN FROM THE FERRY: FORD PLANT
Built in 1930, the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant was the largest assembly plant to be built on the West Coast. Measuring nearly 500,000 square feet, the factory was a critical development of Richmond’s inner harbor and port plan and a major stimulant to the local economy. Overnight, Ford became Richmond’s third-largest employer behind Standard Oil and the Santa Fe Railroad.

Designed with multiple operable windows throughout the plant, the factory is an iconic example of 20th-century industrial architecture. It was designed by architect Albert Kahn, who was famous for his ‘daylight factory’ designs.

During WWII, President Roosevelt banned the production of civilian automobiles, and the Ford Assembly Plant pivoted to assembling jeeps, tanks, armored personnel carriers, armored cars, and other military vehicles. With such a high volume of military combat vehicles coming out of the Ford Plant, the factory became known as the ‘Richmond Tank Depot.’

After the war, the Ford Plant continued to assemble cars until the plant closed in 1956. Today, the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant is part of the National Park Service’s Rosie the Riveter World War II – Home Front National Historical Park and neighbor to the Richmond ferry terminal.