LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN have been going on free Golden Gate Ferry boat field trips across the Bay since the start of December. In exchange, the children have been decorating the vessels with their festive art for passengers to enjoy throughout the holiday season.
“I’m kind of nervous because I don’t like going in too much deep water,” said Honestly Ramey, a third grader from New School San Francisco. “It’s my first time being on a boat.”
Ramey and her class decorated the ferry as it went from San Francisco to Larkspur on a Friday earlier this month. The kids filled the lower cabin like a swarm of elves, eating their boxed lunches and finding the perfect spot to hang their hand-made colorings and collages.
What’s their favorite thing about Christmas?
“Making Christmas tree cakes shaped like a Christmas tree, and putting a lot of trains around my Christmas tree,” said Aitan Ye. “There’ll always be lights on the tree every night.”
“I actually have an elf on the shelf,” said Ruby Sorensen. “It’s this little elf and it moves around your house every time you leave. I actually have two of them, and they are getting married this year. I’m just going to leave the room and wait for something to happen.”
Last year alone, Golden Gate Ferry hosted more than 600 students from 14 elementary schools across San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties, said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
The special district was formed in 1928 to finance and operate the Golden Gate Bridge and provide public transit via buses and ferries, extending into six counties — San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa and portions of Mendocino and Del Norte.
Over the decades, the kid’s program has come full circle for some participants. Former student decorators are now regular ferry customers, Cosulich-Schwartz said.
“They bring their own decorations and spend their free trip putting the decorations up on walls and doors,” he said, adding that the program connects young people to the community and the Bay itself.
The tradition comes at a time when Golden Gate Ferry ridership has been steadily rebounding in the years since the pandemic, even as overall numbers remain below pre-COVID levels.
Systemwide ridership is still about 30% lower than before 2020, but several key routes are seeing strong demand, said Cosulich-Schwartz.
Morning and evening commute trips on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between Larkspur and San Francisco are frequently sold out or nearly sold out, reaching the vessels’ 450-passenger capacity.
Special-event service has been another bright spot. The popular Larkspur-to-Oracle Park ferry serving San Francisco Giants games has exceeded its 2019 ridership totals the last couple of years.
“On June 5, our ferries carried 7,620 passengers (including Giants service), a daily post-pandemic high,” Cosulich-Schwartz said.
Financial challenges remain, however. Golden Gate Ferry service is funded through a combination of fares and Golden Gate Bridge tolls. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the district is facing a $24 million shortfall.
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