San Francisco Bay Ferry recently released its 2024 onboard ridership survey results, which showed 98% of riders report being satisfied with their experience on the service.
The survey, conducted by Bay Area-based research firm Corey, Canapary and Galanis, found that 76% of respondents reported being “very satisfied” with the SF Bay Ferry experience. The agency’s previous onboard survey, conducted in 2022, found 99% overall customer satisfaction.
“The amazing San Francisco Bay Ferry experience creates not just loyal riders, but ferry evangelists,” said Jim Wunderman, Chair of the SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors. “As a ferry commuter myself, I can tell you what an amazing quality-of-life improvement it is to be on open water instead of stuck in gridlock. Our amazing crews that operate and maintain the fleet make these incredible customer satisfaction ratings possible. Thank you to them, and to every ferry rider.”
The customer satisfaction rating is believed to be the highest recorded among U.S. transit operators.
The survey was conducted in April 2024 and was completed by 1,744 randomly sampled passengers across SF Bay Ferry’s six transbay routes. The 2022 survey was conducted by CDM Smith using a similar methodology.
Other key findings in the survey results include:
- 77% of respondents cited reduced stress as a primary reason for choosing to ride SF Bay Ferry, with 65% citing avoidance of traffic as a primary reason.
- 67% of respondents would use a car-based method to replace the ferry if it were not available, with 44% of all respondents reporting they would drive alone and 9% reporting that the ferry was their only travel option.
- 31% of respondents reported an annual household income of less than $100,000, up from 29% in 2022.
The survey results come amid a strong ridership recovery for SF Bay Ferry, sparked by the agency’s aggressive Pandemic Recovery Program launched in 2021. Under the Program, SF Bay Ferry relaunched service with 30% more weekday departures at fares 30% lower than pre-pandemic levels to become relevant, accessible and equitable for more Bay Area residents and visitors.
Over the past 12 months, SF Bay Ferry has averaged 6,807 passengers per day, 86% of systemwide daily average ridership in February 2020. This figure is among the strongest recovery rates for any regional transit operator in the Bay Area.