I-580 Accident Underscores Importance of Vehicle and Passenger Ferries on the Bay

Ferries and barges were routinely used to transport cars, trucks and cargo across the Bay before the construction of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in the 1940s. After the bridges were built, ferry service across the Bay was discontinued until the early 1970s, when Golden Gate Transit launched its ferry fleet of passenger only service to Sausalito and Larkspur. In the past two decades ferry service has expanded to Oakland, Alameda and Vallejo, and the ferry played a major role in transporting commuters across the Bay after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the super agency that dictates transit policy for the Bay Area, is currently studying the feasibility of long term passenger ferry service between The City and SFO, Redwood City, Richmond, Sacramento, Petaluma and Napa. That study should also include the return of dual use passenger/vehicle ferries. Past studies on future Bay Area ferry service have not included vehicle ferries and MTC officials have not seriously considered proposals for vehicle ferry service.

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