General tickets &
payment options

San Francisco Bay Ferry operates on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are only available for special service to Oracle Park and Chase Center.

How to pay fares

There are three ways to pay fares for regular service

CLIPPER

We recommend Clipper for regular riders or those who ride other Bay Area transit services.

Youth, senior and disabled passenger discount cards are available through Clipper. Clipper START is available for qualifying low-income residents. A single Clipper card (physical or digital) can only be used for a single passenger at a time.

CONTACTLESS BANK CARD

Ferry passengers can use contactless bank cards—plastic or mobile Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards—to pay adult fares. Here are some tips to keep in mind when paying with a contactless bank card:

TRANSIT TRANSFERS

Transfers are automatically issued on Clipper cards (mobile and plastic) and contactless bank cards. For transfers to be applied correctly, you must tap on and off with the same card/device. All inter-agency transfers will receive a discount of up to $2.85 (within 2 hours of boarding the first agency).

Can be used by those 65 or older, 17 or younger or those with Medicare cards or DMV disabled parking placards.

SF BAY FERRY APP

If you’re a visitor or riding with a family or group, we recommend you buy mobile tickets using the SF Bay Ferry app. Activate a ticket for each passenger in your group just before you board and show it to the deckhand at the gates.

Paper Tickets

Paper tickets are sold at Bay Crossings in the Ferry Building. If you don’t have Clipper and cannot download the SF Bay Ferry app, you can also buy paper tickets onboard the ferry using cash or card. You will be required to wait in a second line, so we don’t recommend this if you can avoid it.

Ticket Prices

Ferry RouteRegular Adult FareDiscount FareChildren under 5
Oakland & Alameda
Alameda Seaplane
Harbor Bay
$5.10$2.50FREE
Richmond$5.20$2.60FREE
South San Francisco$7.60$3.80FREE
Vallejo$10.00$5.00FREE
Alameda Short Hop$2.85$1.40FREE
Oakland Alameda Water ShuttleFREEFREEFREE