Transportation

Free Oakland-Alameda water shuttle shines on the Estuary

The free Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle is proving to be a popular way to travel between the two cities, an alternative to driving through the Webster/Posey tubes.

Through one month of service, more than 15,000 passengers with over 3,000 bicycles have used the Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle, officials said. 

The bright yellow shuttle carries passengers across the Oakland Estuary Wednesday through Sunday as part of a two-year pilot program. It offers 37 trips a day that take under 10 minutes. The ferry is free to ride and wheelchairs and bicycles are welcome.

There is no pedestrian or bicycle access in the Webster Tube, and only limited access through the Posey Tube. The tubes are underwater tunnels connecting the cities. 

Oakland-Alameda water shuttle
Mark Jones

Now, the 45-foot yellow pontoon vessel, named Woodstock, operates between public docks at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, at the foot of 5th Street in Alameda and the foot of Broadway in Oakland’s Jack London Square. 

The full-service schedule is available at www.watershuttle.org. The City of Alameda, the Alameda Transportation Management Association (ATMA), Port of Oakland, and San Francisco (SF) Bay Ferry are behind the pilot program. 

Oakland-Alameda water shuttle

The shuttle provides access to the Alameda dock is close to grocery stores and shopping at Alameda Landing, plus parks and new housing. The Oakland dock is in the heart of Jack London Square, where there is housing and premier shopping and dining destinations.

A new limited liability corporation, Big Yellow Boat, purchased MV Woodstock from a tour boat operator in Buffalo, New York, before trucking it cross-country to Svendsen’s Bay Marine boatyard in Richmond for initial maintenance and repairs. 

SF Bay Ferry staff, in consultation with the City of Alameda and ATMA, designed modifications to allow MV Woodstock to comfortably accommodate wheelchairs and bikes. The modifications were made by Romero’s Welding in Vallejo.

Oakland-Alameda water shuttle

The shuttle pilot is funded with $1 million in grant funding from the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and over $1.7 million from the ATMA, West Alameda Transportation Demand Management Association, Port of Oakland, Jack London Improvement District, and the City of Alameda.

 

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