Blue & Gold Fleet
A privately owned San Francisco Bay Area ferry operator providing commuter, sightseeing, and excursion services.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Blue & Gold Fleet is a privately owned American ferry company serving the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its business combines contracted public transportation with tourist and excursion operations under the Blue & Gold name. The company is best known as a major operator of ferry services linking communities around the Bay and as a provider of sightseeing trips departing from San Francisco. The company was established in 1979 by Roger Murphy. It began with excursion operations from the West Marina area of Pier 39 and initially operated three vessels. This early focus on harbor and Bay tourism gave Blue & Gold a base from which to expand into scheduled passenger transportation. In 1991, it became the contracted operator of the Alameda/Oakland commuter ferry service. It subsequently took over operation of the Vallejo ferry under contract with the City of Vallejo on July 1, 1994. A significant expansion followed in 1997, when Blue & Gold acquired ferry services to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, and Alcatraz from Red & White Fleet. The company therefore became involved in both everyday regional transportation and high-volume visitor travel to prominent Bay Area destinations. Its Alcatraz operation ended in 2006 after the relevant contract was awarded to Hornblower, but the company continued to operate other commuter and tourist routes. In 2011, Blue & Gold won the contract to operate the consolidated San Francisco Bay Ferry system for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, commonly known as WETA. The consolidated system absorbed the Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo commuter services and expanded during the following decade to include four additional cross-Bay commuter routes. Through this role, Blue & Gold became the operating company behind an important component of the Bay Area's regional passenger-ferry network. Alongside its public ferry contracts, the company continues to offer sightseeing and excursion services from Pier 41 in San Francisco. These include midday ferry service to Sausalito and a range of tourist routes, with the precise selection of services varying by destination and operating schedule. Blue & Gold Fleet is described as the Bay Area's largest ferry transportation provider and carries approximately four million passengers annually, according to the cited reference material. The company's route portfolio has also changed over time. Commute-hour service to Tiburon ended in 2017, and all Blue & Gold service to Tiburon and Angel Island ended in January 2022. Those services were subsequently taken over by Golden Gate Ferry. Blue & Gold Fleet therefore represents a transportation brand whose history has been shaped by contract awards, acquisitions, route transfers, and the division between public commuter operations and privately branded tourism services.
History
Blue & Gold Fleet was founded in 1979 by Roger Murphy as a San Francisco Bay excursion company. Its initial operation consisted of three vessels serving visitors from the West Marina area of Pier 39. The company later expanded from tourism into scheduled commuter transportation, becoming the operator of the Alameda/Oakland ferry service in 1991 under contract with the City of Alameda. The company added another public-service contract on July 1, 1994, when it began operating the Vallejo ferry for the City of Vallejo. In 1997, Blue & Gold acquired ferry services to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, and Alcatraz from Red & White Fleet. This transaction broadened its presence across both commuter and visitor markets and made it a prominent operator of ferry routes serving major destinations around San Francisco Bay. Blue & Gold's participation in the Alcatraz market ended in 2006, when the contract was awarded to Hornblower. The company retained other routes and continued its broader mix of scheduled and tourist operations. A major institutional change occurred in 2011, when Blue & Gold won the contract to operate the consolidated San Francisco Bay Ferry system on behalf of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, or WETA. The consolidated system incorporated the Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo routes and expanded over the next decade to include four additional cross-Bay commuter routes. The company's route network has not remained static. Commute-hour service to Tiburon was discontinued in 2017. In January 2022, Blue & Gold ended all service to both Tiburon and Angel Island, after which Golden Gate Ferry assumed those services. Blue & Gold continues to operate tourist and excursion services under its own brand from Pier 41 in San Francisco, including midday service to Sausalito and other Bay sightseeing routes. It also remains a contracted operator within the San Francisco Bay Ferry system and is described as the Bay Area's largest ferry transportation provider, carrying approximately four million passengers annually.
- 2022
Tiburon and Angel Island routes transferred
[1]Blue & Gold ended all service to Tiburon and Angel Island in January; Golden Gate Ferry subsequently assumed those services.
- 2017
Tiburon commute-hour service ends
[1]The company discontinued commute-hour service to Tiburon.
- 2011
WETA operating contract awarded
[1]Blue & Gold won the contract to operate the consolidated San Francisco Bay Ferry system.
- 2006
Alcatraz contract lost
[1]Hornblower took over the Alcatraz service contract previously operated by Blue & Gold.
- 1997
Red & White Fleet services acquired
[1]Blue & Gold acquired services to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, and Alcatraz.
- 1994
Vallejo ferry contract begins
[1]The company began operating the Vallejo ferry under contract with the City of Vallejo on July 1.
- 1991
Alameda/Oakland commuter service begins
[1]Blue & Gold became the contracted operator of the Alameda/Oakland commuter ferry service.
- 1979
Company founded
[1]Roger Murphy founded Blue & Gold Fleet as an excursion operator with three vessels serving the San Francisco waterfront.
Products and positioning
A large regional ferry operator combining contracted public transit services with branded San Francisco Bay sightseeing and excursion experiences.
Commuter ferry transportation · 2011
San Francisco Bay Ferry commuter services
Blue & Gold Fleet operates the consolidated San Francisco Bay Ferry commuter system under contract with WETA. The system incorporates the former Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo services and expanded over time to include additional cross-Bay commuter routes. These services form the public-transportation side of the company's business and connect communities around the Bay by water.
Tourism and leisure · 1979
San Francisco Bay sightseeing and excursion services
Under the Blue & Gold Fleet brand, the company operates tourist and excursion services from Pier 41 in San Francisco. Its offerings include midday ferry service to Sausalito and a variety of routes designed for visitors and recreational passengers exploring San Francisco Bay.
Scheduled passenger ferry · 1997
Sausalito ferry service
Blue & Gold provides ferry transportation between San Francisco and Sausalito as part of its tourism and passenger-service portfolio. The route serves both visitors seeking access to a major Bay Area destination and passengers using scheduled water transportation.
Brand decisions
2022
End Tiburon and Angel Island servicesStrategyBackground
Blue & Gold had already ended commute-hour Tiburon service in 2017 and later reviewed the future of its remaining services to Tiburon and Angel Island.
Action taken
The company ended all service to Tiburon and Angel Island in January 2022.
Aftermath
Golden Gate Ferry subsequently took over the affected services.
- Golden Gate Ferry — Golden Gate Ferry subsequently assumed the Tiburon and Angel Island services.
2011
Operate the consolidated San Francisco Bay Ferry systemStrategyBackground
WETA consolidated regional ferry services, including the Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo routes, into the San Francisco Bay Ferry system.
Action taken
Blue & Gold Fleet won the contract to operate the consolidated commuter-ferry network and subsequently operated a system that expanded to additional cross-Bay routes.
Aftermath
The contract established Blue & Gold as a central operator of Bay Area public ferry transportation while the company continued its separate tourist and excursion business.
Sources2 sources
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