A new, free water shuttle began making runs Wednesday, July 17, between Alameda Landing, on the west end of the island of Alameda at the base of the tubes, and Jack London Square in Oakland.
Each trip takes under 10 minutes. The 45-foot-long, yellow pontoon named Woodstock, in honor of one of the original three Alameda settlements formed in 1853, will have room for roughly 34 people and 14 bicycles. The vessel is wheelchair-accessible.
The San Francisco Bay Ferry will operate Woodstock five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from morning until evening. (See the full schedule at www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Planning-Building-and-Transportation/Transportation/Oakland-Alameda-Water-Shuttle.)
The two-year pilot program is funded with $1 million from the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and more than $1.7 million from the Alameda Transportation Management Association, West Alameda Transportation Demand Management Association, Port of Oakland, Jack London Improvement District and the city of Alameda.
Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft disembarks the Woodstock water shuttle at Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. The trips take about 10 minutes. The water shuttle is being operated under a two-year pilot program. The boat has room for nearly three dozen people and more than a dozen bikes. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Woodstock water shuttle captain Adam Santner, left, maneuvers the boat from Alameda Landing to Jack London Square on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
A passenger records their trip on the Woodstock water shuttle as it crosses the estuary from Alameda Landing to Jack London Square on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers board the Woodstock water shuttle at Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers aboard the Woodstock water shuttle as they prepare to cross the estuary from Jack London Square to Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers ride the Woodstock water shuttle as it crosses the estuary from Jack London Square to Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers ride the Woodstock water shuttle as it crosses the estuary from Alameda Landing to Jack London Square on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Passengers aboard the Woodstock water shuttle as they prepare to cross the estuary from Jack London Square to Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
The Woodstock water shuttle crosses the estuary from Jack London Square to Alameda Landing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Alameda, Calif. The free service operates 37 one-way trips across the estuary Wednesday-Sunday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
