How many SF Bay Ferry commuters make under $100K per year?

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — San Francisco Bay Ferry released its 2024 onboard ridership survey results on Thursday. People seem to be happy with their daily nautical commute, as 98% of riders report being satisfied with the service, the survey said.

“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.

Bay Ferry riders pay $5.75 or $4.50 with a Clipper card for a one-way ride on the ferry, which is somewhat similar to an East Bay commute from the city if you were to take BART.

So, considering that the ferry service is as financially accessible as one of the most popular forms of public transit in the Bay Area, just how much do ferry commuters make on average per year?

According to the survey, 31% of respondents reported an annual household income of less than $100,000, marking a 2% jump from 2022.

This statistic starts to make more sense when we look at why these commuters use the ferry service in the first place. According to the survey, 77% of respondents cited “reduced stress” as a primary reason for riding the Bay Ferry, with nearly 90% of commuters stating they have other travel options to choose from.

So, it seems as though people aren’t choosing the nautical commute to save money, but rather, people are mainly commuting to save themselves the stress and time. In fact, 65% of respondents cited “avoidance of traffic as a primary reason for their commute,” the survey states.

“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,” Wunderman said.

Since the pandemic, 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,” the transit agency said.

Over the past 12 months, SF Bay Ferry has averaged 6,807 passengers per day.

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