Port of Oakland welcomes expansion of Free Water Shuttle service

The Port of Oakland is celebrating the expansion of the free Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle, a pilot program launched by the City of Alameda to provide public water transit between Oakland’s Jack London Square and Bohol Circle Immigrant Park at the foot of 5th Street in Alameda.

As of July 8, the service has expanded to include Tuesday operations and longer weekend hours—boosting total weekly trips by 35%.

Jonathan Veach, Chief Real Estate Officer at the Port of Oakland commented that this expansion highlights the growing demand for transportation alternatives that ease congestion and strengthen connections between Alameda and our waterfront businesses.

The service, launched in July 2024 as a two-year pilot, is operated by the City of Alameda with partial funding from the Port.

It now runs Tuesday through Thursday from 7:20 a.m. to 8:03 p.m., and Friday through Sunday until 10:16 p.m. Each vessel can carry 31 passengers and 14 bicycles, with all rides free and fully wheelchair accessible.

With the expanded schedule, riders now have even greater access to the area for weekday meetings, weekend leisure, and evening outings.

Since its launch, the shuttle has already recorded over 100,000 rides and received the 2025 Transportation Planning Award of Excellence from the American Planning Association California Northern Section.

Regional transportation partners are now exploring ways to further scale the program and eventually integrate it into the broader Bay Area public transit network.

The post Port of Oakland welcomes expansion of Free Water Shuttle service appeared first on Container News.