Going to a Warriors game? Try taking a ferry.
Ferries from Larkspur, Oakland, Alameda will operate for games and concerts
SAN FRANCISCO » Golden State Warriors fans from the East Bay and North Bay who want to cruise past drivers stuck on congested bridges and gridlocked city streets on their way to the new Chase Center now can take ferries to attend games and concerts at the venue.
San Francisco Bay Ferry and Golden Gate Ferry announced the details this week of their ferry services to the arena, starting with Saturday’s exhibition game between the Warriors and L. A. Lakers and next week’s concerts by the Jonas Brothers and the Who.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed joined Warriors President Rick Welts and other local government and transportation officials Thursday for a ferry ride to the temporary landing half a mile from the Chase Center that passengers will use for at least two Warriors’ seasons. Breed has sought to promote public transit options for reaching the arena, where parking is nearly nonexistent and many have warned of fearsome traffic during big events.
“It’s such a great ride,” she said of the ferries.
Breed and others have big plans for ferry service to the Mission Bay neighborhood, where modern glass apartment towers have risen in recent years along with the new arena and a large medical complex. As Bay Area transit officials look to make better use of waterways as an alternative to the region’s traffic-choked freeways, they hope to open a $45.7 million ferry terminal in Mission Bay by 2021 to serve Chase Center crowds and the growing number of people working and living in the area. Funding for that facility and other transportation projects is being tied up in the legal battles over Regional Measure 3, the bridge toll increase voters approved last year.
“This stop is really one of the flagship stops for our 21stcentury Bay Area water transportation system,” Assembly
man David Chiu, D- San Francisco, said at a news conference outside the temporary landing Thursday.
For now, ferry service will be running only for Warriors games and select concerts. And passengers will dock at a landing that doesn’t exactly match the sleek, polished look of the Warriors’ $1.4 billion new home. On Thursday, the ferry glided past an unglamorous fleet of tugboats and barges to the landing at Pier 48 ½, just south of McCovey Cove. Once passengers disembark, signs guide them on the 10- to 15-minute walk to the arena.
From the East Bay, San Francisco Bay Ferry’s service will look a lot like the one the agency already runs for Giants games at Oracle Park. The ferry will pick up passengers at the Alameda and Oakland terminals, with one pregame and one postgame trip. The ride will cost $9.60 each way for adults, and $7.20 for children 5-18, ages 65 and older and disabled passengers. The agency is planning to use a 225-person capacity ferry to start, but it could use a bigger vessel in the future if there is enough demand.
Golden Gate Ferry service will take North Bay passengers to the arena from the Larkspur terminal, with the return trip departing 45 minutes after the game or concert ends. Tickets are $14 per person each way.
You won’t be able to use a Clipper card to board either service as passengers will have to buy reserved tickets for each. Golden Gate Ferry passengers will be required to buy tickets in advance online or over the phone. Although San Francisco Bay Ferry officials said limited walk-up tickets may be available at their ferry terminals, they encouraged people to buy their tickets ahead of time.
Private ferry operator Tideline already offers commuter ferry service between Berkeley and its Mission Bay landing at Pier 52, with two trips each morning and evening on weekdays. A spokeswoman said the company plans to begin providing service from Jack London Square to events at the Chase Center by the end of this month.