| Locale | San Francisco Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Waterway | San Francisco Bay (North Bay) |
| Transit type | Passenger ferry |
| Operator | Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |
| Began operation | August 15, 1970 |
| No. of lines | 2 |
| No. of vessels | See below |
| No. of terminals | 3 |
| Daily ridership | 1.87 million yearly (FY 2006) |
| Owner | Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |
Golden Gate Ferry is one of three transportation systems owned and operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. The other two are the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Transit bus service, which connects San Francisco to Marin County. Funding for the ferry services is partially subsidized by bridge tolls, in addition to the traditional federal and state sources.
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Golden Gate Ferry [1] serves Larkspur and Sausalito, California in Marin County and the San Francisco Ferry Building, providing fast ferry service.
Golden Gate Ferry offers regular passenger ferry service, with limited weekend service between Marin County and San Francisco. It also provides special ferry service for events like select home games of San Francisco Giants baseball, the annual Bay to Breakers, and day after Thanksgiving (originating from Larkspur only).
Golden Gate Ferry operates daily including limited holiday service.[2] GGF does not operate on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
The following table presents a summary of the number of ferry trips provided by Golden Gate Ferry:
| Origin | Number of trips and Schedules | Notes | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays to San Francisco | Weekdays from San Francisco | Weekends/Holidays to San Francisco | Weekends/Holidays from San Francisco | ||||||||||
| Number of trips | Depart first ferry | Depart last ferry | Number of trips | Depart first ferry | Depart last ferry | Number of trips | Depart first ferry | Depart last ferry | Number of trips | Depart first ferry | Depart last ferry | ||
| Larkspur | 20 | 5:50am | 8:50pm | 21 | 6:25am | 9:35pm | 5 | 9:40am | 5:30pm† | 4 | 12:40pm | 7:15pm | An Expanded Holiday Schedule operates on the Day after Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.[3] |
| Sausalito | 9 | 7:10am | 7:20pm | 9 | 7:40am | 7:55pm | 6 | 11:20am | 6:30pm | 6 | 10:40am | 6:30pm | |
Note: † - last trip serves via Sausalito
Buses also run to and from the ports.
To/From Larkspur (at E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd.):
To/From Sausalito:
Golden Gate Ferry provides different fares, depending on origin or destination in Marin County and method of payment.[6]
| Fare Category (one-way) | Origin/Destination | Cash Fare | Discounted Fare (Clipper card) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | Larkspur | US$8.75 | US$5.70 |
| Sausalito | US$9.25 | US$4.85 | |
| Youth (6-18), Seniors (65+), Disabled (), or Medicare | Larkspur or Sausalito | US$4.25 | Not offered |
| Children under 5 years old (limit 2 per full-fare adult) | All ferry routes | Free | Free |
| SF Giants Ferry | Larkspur | $8.75 | Not offered |
Transfer details for Golden Gate Ferry are as follows:
Golden Gate Ferry has 3 Nickum & Spaulding monohulls and 2 catamarans in service today.[7] The Spauldings are named M.S. Marin, M.S. Sonoma, and M.S. San Francisco, and carry 715 passengers each. They were purchased from Philip F. Spaulding & Associates in San Diego, California in 1976-1977. Originally powered by gas turbine water jets, they were converted to diesel engine propeller drives in 1983-1985, with more efficient engines installed in 2001-2002.[8]
The catamarans are M.V. Del Norte (purchased 1998, 390 passengers) and M.V. Mendocino (purchased 2001, 450 passengers). All of the ferries are wheelchair-accessible () and can store a limited number of bicycles on board. On-board refreshments are served on all ferry routes, including a full bar with mixed drinks. In November 2006, the M.S. Marin underwent a complete refurbishment including all new seating, paint, deck covering and carpeting, ceilings and wall paneling, lighting, PA system, restrooms, refreshment stand, security cameras, windows, bicycle racks (accommodate at least 70 bicycles), modern handicap lift; generator and electrical systems. It re-entered service in July 2007.[9]
In January, 2009 Golden Gate purchased two additional Catamarans, the M.V. Snohomish (renamed M.V. Napa) and the M.V. Chinook, from Washington State Ferries. The Napa entered service in June (allowing the Del Norte to undergo engine replacement); the Chinook will undergo a major refitting starting in late 2009.[10]
Transit Time
As of 2010, scheduled transit time from Larkspur to San Francisco is 40 minutes.[11] The original planned transit time was approximately 20 minutes when the ferries were powered by the 3 gas turbine water jets. The Arab Oil Embargo hit and the standard operating procedure was changed from 3 to 2 turbines. In the mid 80's, the boats were modified to the slower but more fuel efficient diesel / prop engines.
Golden Gate Ferry links with the following transit agencies in San Francisco and Marin County: