San Francisco Bay Ferry carried a record 229,000 passengers in January, marking the highest ridership for that month in the history of the ferry operator. Ridership during the period exceeded 106 per cent of levels recorded in January 2019, representing its highest monthly recovery mark to date.
This result follows a trend of increasing passenger numbers for the ferry service. SF Bay Ferry noted that this is the second consecutive month in which its ridership exceeded figures from 2019, after reaching 100.1 per cent of December 2019 levels in the previous month.
Over the last 12 months, the recovery rate for the system has reached 95 per cent. In 2025, SF Bay Ferry transported three million passengers, which the ferry operator stated is only the second time it has reached that milestone.
The growth in January was driven in part by a surge in weekday passengers. SF Bay Ferry reported that weekday transbay riders averaged 8,358, excluding direct service to the Chase Center.
This figure represents a 15 per cent increase compared to January of the previous year. The ferry operator noted that this weekday recovery rate of 92 per cent relative to 2019 is the highest it has seen since it resumed full service in 2021.
Weekend ridership also showed significant gains. The ferry operator observed that it carried nearly two and a half times the number of weekend riders compared to January 2019.
Over the past year, SF Bay Ferry recorded a 47 per cent increase in weekend ridership compared to its record set before the pandemic. It attributed these figures to weather conditions and seasonal fare promotions held during the winter.
