San Francisco Bay Ferry Announces Free Coffee Promotion Benefitting Local Food Banks
SAN FRANCISCO | January 17, 2024 – San Francisco Bay Ferry today announced that free coffee is now available for passengers on all weekday morning commute trips on its service. As a part of the promotion, ferry riders are raising funds for local food banks.
In partnership with S&P Concessions, the ferry system’s concessionaire, and Blue & Gold Fleet, the contracted operator for the service, coffee is available while supplies last during morning commute hours. The bar is staffed on most departures during afternoon, evening and weekend hours. Snacks and beverages, including local craft beers, are available for purchase when the bar is staffed.
“Commuters on San Francisco Bay Ferry know what a remarkable quality-of-life improvement it is to start and end their workday with a beautiful boat ride,” said Seamus Murphy, Executive Director of San Francisco Bay Ferry. “We encourage locals heading back to the office to give the ferry a try. Just know that it’s really hard to go back to driving once you get a taste for the ferry experience.”
As a part of the free coffee promotion, San Francisco Bay Ferry is recruiting passengers to participate in its Pay It Forward campaign through virtual food drives with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Passengers can support the campaign through QR codes found near the coffee stations on the ferries or via links on San Francisco Bay Ferry's website. Passengers have already donated hundreds of dollars to the food banks.
In addition to free coffee, San Francisco Bay Ferry has upgraded its complimentary Wi-Fi onboard the fleet, allowing commuters to stay connected during their ride. The ferry features seats for every passenger, outdoor areas on every vessel and a safe, clean experience on every departure.
San Francisco Bay Ferry offers 162 transbay trips each weekday, connecting the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Vallejo. In 2023, peak morning commute ridership grew 38%. For the year, San Francisco Bay Ferry carried more than 2.2 million people overall and reached 71% of 2019 ridership levels, among the best recovery rates among regional transit operators in the state.