Woodstock, the Free Water Shuttle, Is Funded Through 2028
City Council locked in $3 million on July 21 to keep the little yellow boat crossing the estuary, and keep it free, for two more years.
By The Alameda Pulse
Good news if you bike, walk, or just like being on the water. The little yellow boat isn't going anywhere. The Alameda City Council approved Phase 2 funding on July 21, which keeps the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle running through June 2028.
If you've ridden it, you know it by name. SF Bay Ferry calls the vessel Woodstock, and it just turned two.
Woodstock carries people and bikes across the Oakland Estuary between the Alameda side and Jack London Square. No car needed. No fare. It's ADA accessible, and it's quietly become one of the most popular ways off the island.
How many people ride the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle
In its first 24 months, the shuttle logged 251,000 passenger trips. That's more than three times Alameda's population, on a boat that started as a pilot program.
A few more numbers worth knowing:
- It carried 60,000 bicycles across the estuary
- Service grew from five days a week to six
- Weekly trips jumped 84 percent, from 187 to 345
- In May 2026 it set a single-day record of 1,039 riders
For a free boat most people outside Alameda have never heard of, that's a lot of trips.
Who pays for the water shuttle
Phase 2 runs about $3.04 million, and the money comes from two places:
- $1,475,000 in grants from the Alameda County Transportation Commission
- $1,565,000 from private partners, including transportation management associations and waterfront partners
Here's the part that stands out. More than half the funding is private. Businesses and property owners along the water are paying to keep this thing free, because it moves customers and workers across the estuary faster than driving around.
Where to catch it, if you've never gone
On the Alameda side you board at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, over in the Alameda Landing area. That's the same park where the shuttle threw its second-birthday party on July 31. You come off at Jack London Square, walking distance from the Sunday farmers market, the Oakland ferry terminal, and the Jack London restaurants.
It takes bikes, and honestly the bike racks are much of the point.
Schedules shift by season and by day of the week, so pull up the city's water shuttle page for current times before you head over.
What happens after 2028
The next two years aren't just about running boats. Partners have three goals: get a fully electric vessel on the water to meet coming regulations, finish a long-term feasibility study, and find funding that lasts past 2028.
Translation: they're trying to turn a pilot into permanent transit. The ridership numbers make that case for them.
Pair the shuttle with the newly opened Cross Alameda Trail connection to the Fruitvale Bridge and you can get a surprising distance without a car.
Looking for more ways to spend a weekend on the island? Check our Alameda events calendar.
