The Oakland-Alameda water shuttle heads towards the dock at Jack London Square at the end of Broadway in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The free shuttle can hold up to 31 passengers and 14 bicycles and operates Wednesdays through Sundays. (Riley Cooke/Bay City News)

The Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle has resumed normal service after a mechanical issue on opening day forced the vessel to suspend operations, the ferry agency said. 

The free shuttle, which can transport up to 31 passengers and 14 bikes across the Oakland Estuary, began service to much fanfare Wednesday morning before being shut down around 6 p.m. that day. 

Although repairs were completed quickly, service remained suspended through Thursday evening, according to San Francisco Bay Ferry agency spokesperson Thomas Hall. The normal operation resumed Friday morning.

Wednesday’s launch marked the beginning of a two-year pilot program to assess demand for a more permanent pedestrian option to cross the estuary between Oakland and Alameda. 

Riley is an intern at Bay City News through the Dow Jones News Fund. She is a rising senior at the UC Berkeley, where she studies political science and journalism. Previously, she was the university news editor at her student newspaper The Daily Californian, overseeing coverage of student government elections, a new chancellor and the Gaza solidarity encampment. She enjoys reporting on politics, housing and homelessness — and using as many em dashes as her editors will allow.