Free ferry linking Alameda with Oakland's Jack London Square set to launch

OAKLAND – A new free ferry service linking Jack London Square in Oakland to a shopping center in nearby Alameda is set to launch, officials said.

The Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle (OAWS) will offer 37 trips per day across the Oakland Estuary starting Wednesday morning. Service will operate Wednesdays through Sundays for the next two years, as part of a pilot program.

"We are excited to partner on this new, free, transit service that connects the Oakland and Alameda waterfronts and allows for enhanced visitor access to Jack London Square," Port of Oakland Chief Real Estate Officer Jonathan Veach said in a statement.

Service will be provided by a 45-foot yellow pontoon vessel called the Woodstock.

The shuttle between the foot of Broadway in Oakland and Bohol Circle Immigrant Park in Alameda takes less than 10 minutes, connecting the square with the Alameda Landing shopping center. Officials said the shuttle is ADA accessible and bicycles are welcome.

Currently, the only bicycle and pedestrian connection between the two locations is a 36-inch wide pathway through the Posey Tube, which is often loud and dirty from vehicle traffic.

"It's very frustrating that it can be so close, and yet it's out of reach...forcing you to own a car." Justin Hu-Nguyen, who co-directs the Mobility Justice effort for Bike East Bay, told CBS News Bay Area last week .

The first ride on the shuttle will depart Jack London Square at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

A schedule can be found by visiting watershuttle.org or the City of Alameda website .