Rising tide for Bay Area ferry expansion despite pandemic’s toll on ridership

Ridership on Bay Area ferries remains far below its pre-pandemic levels, but that hasn’t put a crimp in plans to expand ferry service greatly in the coming years.

Jim Wunderman, chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), recently laid out a vision that includes more ferry runs, new ports and the addition of hovercraft to serve communities in the South Bay, where the water is too shallow for traditional ferry boats.