What We've Heard So Far

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To understand the priorities of key stakeholders and the Bay Area public for future ferry service, WETA convened a number of advisory and working group meetings, hosted two Board workshops, conducted a quick online priorities poll, and administered an online community survey.

These engagements informed the development of a series of ferry service visions that will be evaluated against a set of possible futures. This approach to planning helps ensure Bay Area ferry service is resilient to whatever the future may hold.

So far we've heard from participants that they want a future ferry network that includes:

  1. Routes that bring in the most riders and routes that expand ferry connections to new parts of the region.

  2. All-day service options that accommodate non-traditional work and life schedules, while maintaining core service during peak work commute hours.

  3. Easy, seamless access from ferry terminals to first and last mile transit connections, such as bikes, buses and light rail.

  4. Smaller vessels or private operators for lower-demand routes.

Please read the following summaries and data snapshots for more detail on what we heard through the first few rounds of community engagement.

Advisory & Working Group Meetings


On February 15, 2024 and February 16, 2024, WETA and CivicMakers convened the Community and Business Advisory Groups for a third Advisory Group meeting. The purpose of these meetings was to provide feedback on the Draft Service Vision, including service maps and feasibility criteria.

On January 18, 2023 and January 25, 2023, WETA and CivicMakers convened a virtual Business Advisory Group and a virtual Community Advisory Group, respectively. The purpose of these meetings was to provide an update about WETA’s evaluations of its draft service expansion concepts and gather input.

On June 16, 2022 and July 13, 2022, WETA convened virtual Business and Community Advisory Groups, respectively. WETA also convened five City and County Working Groups comprised of local planning and transportation staff. The purpose of these meetings was to gather initial input to inform the draft service expansion concepts.


WETA Board Workshop

On April 17, 2023, WETA hosted a public Board of Directors’ workshop to to review the final evaluation results and discuss a proposal by staff for developing a final 2050 Service Vision.

On August 17, 2022, WETA hosted a public Board of Directors’ workshop to discuss and inform the development a final set of future service scenarios to be evaluated over the last four months of 2022.



Video Recording #2

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Full Activity Packet #2

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Presentation Slide Deck #1


Quick Priorities Poll

From July 11, 2022 through August 31, 2022, WETA asked members of the Bay Area public to share their priorities and preferences for future ferry service through a quick online poll on BayFerry2050.org. Responses reflect a desire for WETA to make changes to its service schedule and locations to grow future ridership (see chart below). For more information about what was shared, please review a full summary of the poll questions and responses from over 1,300 members of the Bay Area region.


Online Survey

From January 30, 2023 through March 24, 2023, we asked members of the Bay Area public to share their preferences for how the ferry system should balance affordability, service frequency and speed, expansion, and environmental sustainability through an online survey. The survey was promoted and distributed by a variety of ferry system partners and advocates across the region, including the offices of elected officials, through social media channels, and directly to current ferry riders. In total, 4,568 people from across the region completed the survey.

Key Takeaways:

When considering what factors impact someone’s decision to ride the ferry, we observed some consistent themes across the survey questions.

  • Departure schedule / trip frequency was the predominant factor when deciding whether to ride the ferry. This was true across different use types (commute, recreation/leisure, other) and was true across all counties.
  • Respondents also consistently prioritized the following:
    • Connectedness/Alignment with other modes of transit
    • The amount of time it takes to complete the trip.
    • Cost of the ticket
  • Amenities and environmental impact had minimal effect on people’s decisions to ride the ferry, however, environmental conservation did rank more highly in terms of values/visions for the future of the ferry system.

When visioning San Francisco Bay Ferry and water transportation in 2050, the top four outcomes that respondents prioritized were:

  1. Ridership. Ferries maximize ridership and provide competitive alternatives to driving.
  2. Service coverage. More people have access to ferry service.
  3. Redundancy. Ferries overlap with regional rail and bus services and provide an alternate transit option.
  4. Environmental conservation. Ferry expansion does not adversely affect wetlands and wildlife refuges.

Read the full report here.

A Few Personal Vision Statements from the Public...

"I wake up on a chilly Saturday morning and bike down to my local ferry terminal. I want to see a new city. The ticker updates with the latest schedule. Looks like there’s a service to Richmond in 30 minutes. I grab a coffee, hunker down with my book and wonder if I should stop at Jack London Square in the afternoon. And I wait for the ferry. It’s not a flashy image, but I quite like it. Not beholden to cars and parking, I’m free to wander the Bay on the ferry and my bike.”

- Vallejo Resident, August 30, 2022

“[The ferry system would look] much like today but with a few more destinations and with electric-powered vessels. Service locations should be demand-based, prioritizing locations with a high density of housing units or jobs within 1/4 mile [of the terminal], or highly-coordinated transit transfer points, plus major attractions like our waterfront sports arenas."

- Oakland Resident, July 13, 2022

“Interconnection with special events (including arts and culture, not just sports), so that Bay Area residents can go to concerts, plays, festivals, parades, etc., by ferry. Yes, we should serve commuters too, but after Covid, we may never get back to the same "rush hour" schedule as in the past. We need to have ferries serving people who want to go to the East Bay from the Peninsula, which is currently a horrible drive that nobody wants to make, so we just don't go there. And East Bay people need to be able to come to the Peninsula for high-paying jobs -- that's a social justice issue.”

- Redwood City Resident, July 14, 2022

“The ferry should run frequently and be reliable. It should reach a point where you don't really need to schedule your day around the ferry's schedule because you can depend on the ferry running whenever you want it to (within operational hours). It should connect seamlessly to other forms of commuting, e.g. BART or bus services.”

- Alameda Resident, July 15, 2022

To understand the priorities of key stakeholders and the Bay Area public for future ferry service, WETA convened a number of advisory and working group meetings, hosted two Board workshops, conducted a quick online priorities poll, and administered an online community survey.

These engagements informed the development of a series of ferry service visions that will be evaluated against a set of possible futures. This approach to planning helps ensure Bay Area ferry service is resilient to whatever the future may hold.

So far we've heard from participants that they want a future ferry network that includes:

  1. Routes that bring in the most riders and routes that expand ferry connections to new parts of the region.

  2. All-day service options that accommodate non-traditional work and life schedules, while maintaining core service during peak work commute hours.

  3. Easy, seamless access from ferry terminals to first and last mile transit connections, such as bikes, buses and light rail.

  4. Smaller vessels or private operators for lower-demand routes.

Please read the following summaries and data snapshots for more detail on what we heard through the first few rounds of community engagement.

Advisory & Working Group Meetings


On February 15, 2024 and February 16, 2024, WETA and CivicMakers convened the Community and Business Advisory Groups for a third Advisory Group meeting. The purpose of these meetings was to provide feedback on the Draft Service Vision, including service maps and feasibility criteria.

On January 18, 2023 and January 25, 2023, WETA and CivicMakers convened a virtual Business Advisory Group and a virtual Community Advisory Group, respectively. The purpose of these meetings was to provide an update about WETA’s evaluations of its draft service expansion concepts and gather input.

On June 16, 2022 and July 13, 2022, WETA convened virtual Business and Community Advisory Groups, respectively. WETA also convened five City and County Working Groups comprised of local planning and transportation staff. The purpose of these meetings was to gather initial input to inform the draft service expansion concepts.


WETA Board Workshop

On April 17, 2023, WETA hosted a public Board of Directors’ workshop to to review the final evaluation results and discuss a proposal by staff for developing a final 2050 Service Vision.

On August 17, 2022, WETA hosted a public Board of Directors’ workshop to discuss and inform the development a final set of future service scenarios to be evaluated over the last four months of 2022.



Video Recording #2

+

Full Activity Packet #2

+

+
Presentation Slide Deck #1


Quick Priorities Poll

From July 11, 2022 through August 31, 2022, WETA asked members of the Bay Area public to share their priorities and preferences for future ferry service through a quick online poll on BayFerry2050.org. Responses reflect a desire for WETA to make changes to its service schedule and locations to grow future ridership (see chart below). For more information about what was shared, please review a full summary of the poll questions and responses from over 1,300 members of the Bay Area region.


Online Survey

From January 30, 2023 through March 24, 2023, we asked members of the Bay Area public to share their preferences for how the ferry system should balance affordability, service frequency and speed, expansion, and environmental sustainability through an online survey. The survey was promoted and distributed by a variety of ferry system partners and advocates across the region, including the offices of elected officials, through social media channels, and directly to current ferry riders. In total, 4,568 people from across the region completed the survey.

Key Takeaways:

When considering what factors impact someone’s decision to ride the ferry, we observed some consistent themes across the survey questions.

  • Departure schedule / trip frequency was the predominant factor when deciding whether to ride the ferry. This was true across different use types (commute, recreation/leisure, other) and was true across all counties.
  • Respondents also consistently prioritized the following:
    • Connectedness/Alignment with other modes of transit
    • The amount of time it takes to complete the trip.
    • Cost of the ticket
  • Amenities and environmental impact had minimal effect on people’s decisions to ride the ferry, however, environmental conservation did rank more highly in terms of values/visions for the future of the ferry system.

When visioning San Francisco Bay Ferry and water transportation in 2050, the top four outcomes that respondents prioritized were:

  1. Ridership. Ferries maximize ridership and provide competitive alternatives to driving.
  2. Service coverage. More people have access to ferry service.
  3. Redundancy. Ferries overlap with regional rail and bus services and provide an alternate transit option.
  4. Environmental conservation. Ferry expansion does not adversely affect wetlands and wildlife refuges.

Read the full report here.

A Few Personal Vision Statements from the Public...

"I wake up on a chilly Saturday morning and bike down to my local ferry terminal. I want to see a new city. The ticker updates with the latest schedule. Looks like there’s a service to Richmond in 30 minutes. I grab a coffee, hunker down with my book and wonder if I should stop at Jack London Square in the afternoon. And I wait for the ferry. It’s not a flashy image, but I quite like it. Not beholden to cars and parking, I’m free to wander the Bay on the ferry and my bike.”

- Vallejo Resident, August 30, 2022

“[The ferry system would look] much like today but with a few more destinations and with electric-powered vessels. Service locations should be demand-based, prioritizing locations with a high density of housing units or jobs within 1/4 mile [of the terminal], or highly-coordinated transit transfer points, plus major attractions like our waterfront sports arenas."

- Oakland Resident, July 13, 2022

“Interconnection with special events (including arts and culture, not just sports), so that Bay Area residents can go to concerts, plays, festivals, parades, etc., by ferry. Yes, we should serve commuters too, but after Covid, we may never get back to the same "rush hour" schedule as in the past. We need to have ferries serving people who want to go to the East Bay from the Peninsula, which is currently a horrible drive that nobody wants to make, so we just don't go there. And East Bay people need to be able to come to the Peninsula for high-paying jobs -- that's a social justice issue.”

- Redwood City Resident, July 14, 2022

“The ferry should run frequently and be reliable. It should reach a point where you don't really need to schedule your day around the ferry's schedule because you can depend on the ferry running whenever you want it to (within operational hours). It should connect seamlessly to other forms of commuting, e.g. BART or bus services.”

- Alameda Resident, July 15, 2022

Page last updated: 03 Apr 2024, 01:55 PM