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$1 Ferry Rides in SF: “Dollar Days on The Bay”

Take a $1 ferry ride across the Bay, weekdays through the end of the year
By - posted 11/13/2020 No Comment

San Francisco Bay Ferry wants to thank essential workers and welcome new riders on board with $1 fares through the months of November and December.

UPDATE: The $1 ferry ride promotion unfortunately ended early on November 30th

Current Destinations / Schedules
They are currently running only weekday ferry service.

Service on the Harbor Bay and South San Francisco routes is currently suspended. There is no active service to Mare Island or Pier 41 San Francisco.

The ferry offers a pleasant, fresh air trip across the Bay and we have critical health measures in effect to protect passengers and crews. Masks are required on board at all times and capacity is limited to ensure proper social distancing.

How to Purchase $1 Tickets

For this promotion, $1 fares are available only via the Hopthru app.

Hopthru is San Francisco Bay Ferry’s mobile ticketing partner. The free app is available in on both iOS (Apple) and Android systems. You can connect a credit or debit card, your Apple Pay account, a prepaid debit card and other payment methods to your Hopthru account in order to purchase tickets.

Here’s the quick rundown on how to buy your $1 tickets:

  1. Download the Hopthru app on smartphone and connect a credit card, Apple Pay or a prepaid debit card. You can click the links below to go right to Hopthru in your app store of choice.
  2. Search for San Francisco Bay Ferry.
  3. Purchase $1 one-way promo tickets for your chosen route. Buy two if you’re taking a round trip. You can buy tickets for multiple members of your party if you’re riding in group.
  4. For Vallejo: Activate your ticket before boarding the ferry and show it to the deckhand at the top of the ramp. You can activate multiple tickets and slide your finger across the screen to show them all to the deckhand. Then you can board the ferry safely and find a seat, maintaining distance from other passengers who have already boarded.For Alameda/Oakland and Richmond: Board the ferry safely and find a seat, maintaining distance from other passengers who have already boarded.
  5. For Vallejo: Disembark safely and enjoy the rest of your journey. For Alameda/Oakland and Richmond: As you arrive at your destination, activate the ticket and disembark safely. Show the deckhand at the end of the ramp to confirm payment. You can activate multiple tickets and slide your finger across the screen to show them all to the deckhand. From there, enjoy the rest of your journey.

Additional Ticket and Fare Info

No Reservations: San Francisco Bay Ferry operates on a first come, first served basis. You will not reserve a day or departure time when you purchase a $1 ticket on Hopthru. Purchasing a $1 ticket does not guarantee you a spot on your preferred departure. We have maximum capacity limits that we cannot exceed, and while we expect to have room for everyone on most if not all departures, we recommend you arrive to queue early if you’re on an inflexible schedule. We are currently posting weekly ridership updates to give passengers peace of mind, as well.

Weekdays Only: We are currently running weekday-only ferry service on the Alameda/Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo routes. There is no weekend service. Also please note that service on the Harbor Bay and South San Francisco routes is currently suspended and that there is no active service to the Mare Island or Pier 41 San Francisco terminals.

Youth Passengers: During this promotion, youth passengers 17 years old or younger can ride free with a paying adult passenger. There is a limit of five free youth passengers per paying adult passenger. There are no additional discounts on top of the $1 promotional fare.

Clipper Card: The reduced fare is not available on Clipper and no refunds will be issued for passengers who use their Clipper card during the promotion. (The Clipper Card readers will be bagged to discourage payment by this method.) We love Clipper and recommend it as passengers’ fare payment method outside of this promotion. Unfortunately, we cannot quickly implement a promotional fare on the platform and ensuring touchless fare payment is critical during COVID-19 crisis.

Monthly Passes: Vallejo monthly passes will not be sold in November as commuters will receive a much better rate paying the $1 one-way fares via Hopthru. Commuters who have received November monthly passes through employer programs can use their passes.

If you have fare questions not answered here, please email customerservice@sanfranciscobayferry.com.