INTERVIEW Building the fleet of the future Seamus Murphy tells Rebecca Gibson how San Francisco Bay Ferry is working to build the USA’s first high-speed, zero-emission passenger ferry fleet and expand US shipbuilding capacity San Francisco Bay Ferry (SF Bay Ferry) is breaking multiple records. Year-over-year ferry ridership has grown for 60 consecutive months, with the public transit agency carrying 3.25 million passengers on its routes between the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Vallejo in California, USA, between July 2025 and June 2026. This beat its pre-pandemic annual ridership record by seven per cent. The agency also achieved its highest-ever average daily ridership for a single month in June 2026, with around 10,992 people using the service per day. “We were the fastest growing transit service in the region before the pandemic, and the fastest regional service to recover,” says Seamus Murphy, executive director of SF Bay Ferry, which operates 19 high-speed passenger ferries. “That didn’t happen by accident. While the increased number of workers returning to the office is driving an upwards trajectory, we’ve also been laser-focused on improving the rider experience and making the system accessible to a larger market of passengers.” To achieve this goal, the operator has adjusted fares to align with those for other transit modes, streamlined payment options and upgrade concessions, and added off-peak services to accommodate more recreational riders. “We’ve worked with community partners to test new routes and ridership markets, making the services that perform well a permanent part of our network,” says Murphy. “We’ve also improved onboard Wi-Fi and launched ‘Friday Tides and Tunes’, with live music from local bands. It’s been a huge hit.” Anticipating that these investments will lead to continued ridership growth, SF Bay Ferry is building four new vessels to serve the Bay Area’s emerging waterfront communities. They will include two 150-passenger ferries designed by Aurora Marine Design, which will be built by All American Marine in Bellingham, Washington, in collaboration with naval architect Teknicraft. The 100-foot vessels will operate at 24 knots and be powered by dual 625-kilowatt electric motors installed by Wartsila. Two 400-passenger vessels designed by Elliot Bay will be constructed by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. All four will be constructed as part of the Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program, which will also see the agency electrifying terminals and converting four diesel ferries to run on zero-emission technology. “SF Bay Ferry is developing the USA’s first high-speed, zero-emission passenger ferry service,” says Murphy. “The first vessels are on schedule to arrive next year and will connect the region’s fastestgrowing new neighbourhoods – on Treasure Island and in Mission Bay – to Downtown San Francisco. These new connections will open up otherwise inaccessible job and housing opportunities to the rest of the region.” Murphy and his team will monitor customer satisfaction and ridership numbers to ensure a positive return on “ SF Bay Ferry is developing the USA’s first high-speed, zero-emission passenger ferry service” 88
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