Efforts by the San Francisco Bay Ferry transit service to purchase three high-speed battery ferries are moving forward with the help of an $11 million Federal Transit Administration grant, it was announced Sept. 16.
The grant is expected to fund SF Bay Ferry’s trio of 150-passenger battery-powered ferries that would serve Treasure Island, Mission Bay, Downtown San Francisco and other San Francisco waterfront communities.
“San Francisco’s waterfront is thriving, and this award will make sure that they are connected and accessible using state-of-the-art zero-emission congestion-reducing ferries,” SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors Chair Jim Wunderman said.
So far, the ferry service has garnered about $136 million from local, state and federal agencies to start its Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry (REEF) Program, a multi-phased endeavor that could include purchasing a pair of 400-passenger battery-electric ferries.
The program would also convert four diesel 400-passenger ferries to zero-emission technology, electrify terminal capabilities throughout the system and expand and electrify its Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility in Alameda.
SF Bay Ferry, which released vessel designs in August, expects to award procurement contracts this fall with first vessel delivery anticipated for 2026.
