SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Bay Ferry today announced it beat its all-time May ridership record, setting a passenger count record for the third straight month and beating pre-pandemic ridership for the sixth consecutive month.
SF Bay Ferry carried 301,270 passengers in May, up 8% from 2025. This mark is also higher than 2019 ridership. The agency first beat its 2019 ridership in May 2025. High weekend ridership continues to fuel records: SF Bay Ferry carried 15,004 riders on an average two-day weekend this May, up 56% from the same month pre-pandemic.
Year-over-year ferry ridership has now grown for 59 consecutive months. The Vallejo route had the highest passenger count systemwide for the 22nd consecutive month, with the Oakland route coming in second.
In 2021, the agency relaunched ferry service built around providing robust commute and off-peak service at lower fares. SF Bay Ferry has also leaned into new services including the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle connecting Jack London Square to Alameda Landing and popular service to Chase Center for Valkyries and Warriors games.
Building off the popularity of the past winter’s Tides and Tunes campaign, the agency re-launched the live music series. On May 29, Feeling Groovy, a local Simon and Garfunkel tribute band, performed for passengers commuting home to Richmond or into Downtown San Francisco. Media clips and photos from the event can be found here. June will feature two Tides and Tunes evenings, on June 12 and 26, and the series will continue on the final Friday each month until October. All performances will be on the Richmond route from 3:40-6:35 p.m. Performances are free with passenger fares. Full details on the Tides and Tunes website.
San Francisco Bay Ferry is a regional public transit agency tasked with developing, operating and expanding ferry service on the San Francisco Bay and with coordinating the water transit response to regional emergencies. The agency operates ferry routes connecting the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Vallejo. More information is available at https://sanfranciscobayferry.com/media-center.
Media Inquiries:
Lexi Matsui, SF Bay Ferry, media@sfbayferry.com, 415-364-1753