How the Commuters Saved the
Vallejo Ferry
![](jpgFairy_Godmother.jpg)
BY BOBBY
WINSTON
These days, Vallejo ferry service
is an unquestioned success story. Fast, modern ferryboats full to the brim with
contented commuters speed between San Francisco and Vallejo every day. A
beautiful terminal at the Vallejo end, seamless bus connections all the way to
Sacramento, a state-of-the-art web site that even lets you track the boats as
they cross the Bay; it all adds up to a premiere operation that can fairly be
called the pride of the North Bay.
Hard to believe that just 12
years ago ferry service to Vallejo was about to be eliminated – and surely
would have been had it not been for the quick intervention of the Vallejo
commuters.
In 1988 the former Red &
White fleet, since merged into Blue and Gold, provided service to Vallejo. (The
current Red & White Company providing service to Richmond is a separate
company formed after the merger.) Unable to attract enough riders and facing a
rising tide of red ink, the company petitioned the PUC to discontinue service.
The company’s lawyers had a
strong case and City officials were resigned to losing the service. But 100-plus
spirited commuters had a different response: "Just Say No".
The grassroots group, North Bay
Water Commuters, formed literally overnight and swiftly swung into action.
Commuters with expertise in politics, business development, marketing and the
law unhesitatingly stepped forward to volunteer their services. Having worked
for the governor in public relations, Kevin Elliott chaired the Political
Committee and taught commuters the power of the written word. Hundreds of
letters from commuters, spouses and children were individually written to the
PUC. As a result, the PUC quickly assigned staff to study the Vallejo service in
detail. Concurrently, a lawsuit was filed seeking to deny Red & White’s
petition to discontinue the service. Heading up NBWC’s Law Committee were Amy
Lewis and Bill and Sallie Evans.
At the same time, it was agreed
that in order to permanently save the Vallejo service someone had to
increase ridership. Red & White wasn’t about to do it and the City hadn’t
any dedicated resources for the job. With a background in marketing, Cindy
Detwiler was the obvious choice to chair the Marketing Committee.
First, a local phone was
installed in Vallejo: 64-FERRY. Next they identified free billboard space for
non-profit organizations’ use along I-80 and I-780. Neighborhoods were divided
and over 30 people enlisted to go door-to-door leaving ferry schedules. The
Welcome Wagon agreed to include ferry schedules and a commute ticket in their
basket to new arrivals. The City of Vallejo and Benicia printed 64-FERRY on
utility bills. Thousands of schedules were distributed at hotels, military
bases, fairs, and festivals and along parade routes as far away as Sacramento
and Calistoga. New commuters were greeted onboard and given a "first day on
us" coupon. Working as unpaid volunteers on their own time, commuters,
business owners, senior citizens and local residents followed the plan set forth
by the "Ferry Godmother" – as Cindy was nicknamed - and within six
months ridership had shot up 36%.
Meanwhile, documentation was
being gathered to support NBWC’s lawsuit. Evidence was submitted showing that
a lot more could have been done to attract new riders, including the marketing
results of the volunteers who funded their activities through weekly bake sales
onboard the morning commute runs. When the Judge hearing the case – who rode
the ferry incognito and was greeted, given a schedule and offered a pastry for
$1 – was finished hearing the pleas of a standing-room-only crowd, the verdict
said it all: the service WILL continue.
With the service stabilized,
Vallejo city officials allocated funds for support staff. In addition to
managing the city’s 80-unit bus and BartLink service, Pam Belchamber was
assigned administration of the ferry service and she has gone on to secure
significant grants to further expand service.
Fast forward six months: the Loma
Preita Earthquake strikes. Notably, the day of the Quake – when the Bay Bridge
had collapsed and BART was stalled in the tunnel – ferry riders got home on
time.
As crews worked feverishly to
repair the Bay Bridge tens of thousands of commuters had no way to cross the Bay
– except by ferry. The task of getting the word out fell to Solano County MTC
Rep Jim Spering and Ms. Belchamber who turned to Cindy Detwiler and her crew.
Enter: Myrna Hayes with a background in sales and public administration. Cindy
and Myrna quit their jobs and were hired full-time, with emergency funds from
FEMA, to helping manage the crisis. FEMA funds were also used to install three
more phone lines in Cindy’s home.
From too few riders the pendulum
had swung off the scale in the other direction: lines of would-be passengers
snaked around the block. Now the problem was how to cope with overwhelming
demand. Boats were redeployed from tourist runs – service to Alcatraz was
temporarily suspended. And the State of Washington loaned three fast ferries for
the duration.
When the Bay Bridge reopened to
traffic, many commuters predictably stopped using the ferry. But a significant
number were willing to keep using the ferry – if more boats and an expanded
schedule could be provided. Once again, the North Bay Water Commuters answered
the call. They got over 60,000 signatures to help put Prop 116 on the 1991
ballot – and in return secured a $10 million dollar line item for the much
needed v
essels.
But the North Bay Water Commuters
weren’t finished yet: they helped develop even more imaginative ways of
improving service. They arranged AM drop-up/PM pickup services for ferry
commuters including dry cleaning, shoe and jewelry repair, tailoring and auto
detailing. A special success was "Sea and Symphony", wherein the
Vallejo Symphony performed on return trips to San Francisco, attracting hundreds
of late evening riders to what otherwise would have been an empty run.
Vallejo ferry riders owe thanks
to North Bay Water Commuters for their fast boats and overall service that is
the envy of the Bay. But perhaps the greatest achievement on the part of the
Ferry Godmothers – Amy, Sallie, Cindy and Myrna - was the special sense of
camaraderie they inspired on the Vallejo ferryboats. Vallejo ferry riders care
and watch out for each other. That’s what made all the good things possible.