The Larkspur Ferry Is Planning for Crowds It Doesn't Have Yet

The Larkspur ferry runs 10 fewer weekday crossings than it is allowed to. So why is the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District asking for permission to run up to 76?

That question sits under the draft environmental impact report the district released on October 19, 2026. The report's public open house is tonight at the Larkspur Library. Most coverage has focused on the parking garages, because a 3,998-stall structure on the Main Lot is hard to ignore. The terminal on Sir Francis Drake is not running out of room today. The report sets a new ceiling for ridership the district expects in 2035 and 2050. Any garage would come later, if it comes at all, and a future board would make that call.

Ten Crossings Under the Limit

Before the pandemic, the ferry ran at its approved maximum of 42 regular weekday crossings between Larkspur and San Francisco. As of April 2026 it ran 32 on weekdays and 15 on weekends and holidays. The other numbers tell the same story.

The 2019 riders who stood on the dock and watched a full boat leave, or circled a full lot before 10 a.m., are the ones Ron Downing has in mind. He is the district's director of planning. "There is a lot of enthusiasm among our riders for this," he told the Marin Independent Journal. "A lot of them remember how constrained things were before 2020."

Today's ridership looks nothing like that. Weekday ridership in October 2025 was well under half of what it was in 2019. The latest parking count, from February 2025, found about a third of the Main Lot empty, and the North Lot near the SMART station has sat idle for six years.

Why Ask for 76 Now

The 42-trip limit is a legal ceiling, set under the district's existing environmental clearance. To run more than 42 daily trips, the district needs new review under the California Environmental Quality Act and approval from its board. That process takes years, so the district is starting it while the boats still have room.

Its forecasts explain the timing. The district expects Larkspur service to return to 42 daily crossings in 2035. According to the Independent Journal, the district expects daily ferry demand to pass 7,000 riders by 2035 and 17,000 by 2050, based partly on housing projections of about 29,000 new homes in Marin and Sonoma counties by 2031.

Downing described the report as a way to be ready. "There is no project to build a parking structure at this time, no decision has been made. That will be the decision of a future board of directors," he told the Independent Journal. "This draft EIR starts us down the road of being ready to respond as opposed to waiting till something happens and then trying to respond."

So the document on the table tonight would clear a higher service limit for when demand returns. The garages are part of that review. Building one would take a separate decision that has not been made.

Two Garages on Paper

The terminal opened in 1976 on 25 acres, with four ferry berths, a 1,800-space Main Lot and the 215-space North Lot off Larkspur Landing Circle. Both options in the report start at the North Lot and grow from there.

• Alternative 1 would build a six-level, 850-stall garage on the North Lot. A second phase would add a five-level garage of 1.2 million square feet on the Main Lot, with 3,998 stalls and secure bike parking.
• Alternative 2 would build the same North Lot garage and a smaller four-level, 3,258-stall garage on the Main Lot. It would also extend one fixed-route shuttle from peak-hour-only to all-day service by 2035 and add up to two neighborhood shuttles by 2050. On the ground floor it would add carpool spaces, 350 secure bike spaces and a bike hub with repair services.
• Both would add a pedestrian crossing on Larkspur Landing Circle to the North Lot, along with solar, EV charging and night-sky-compliant lighting. Ground floors would be raised 1 to 5 feet to account for sea-level rise.

The report names Alternative 2 the "environmentally superior" option. It cites more ways to reach the terminal without a car, fewer vehicle miles traveled and lower emissions. The district is also considering higher parking fees. Both options carry the same "significant and unavoidable" impacts: construction activity, changes to public views, and traffic on Highway 101 at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The report dropped a no-project option. It also withdrew an option built on transit, bike and pedestrian improvements without garages, because neither met the project's goals.

Where Larkspur's Own Officials Land

The concerns from local officials follow the same timeline as the report. Councilmember Gabe Paulson also sits on the boards of the Transportation Authority of Marin and SMART. He told the Independent Journal that expanding ferry service is "a critical piece of the North Bay's climate, transit and commute goals." He raised concerns about the garages' cost, traffic, sea-level rise and the commitments from the bridge district. "Adding thousands of garage stalls directly concentrates commuter vehicle trips into our local roadway network rather than dispersing them onto connecting transit," he said.

Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni, who sits on the TAM and bridge district boards, called the draft a positive step. He said he would prefer "to strengthen partnerships with SMART and other transit providers, making it easier for people to reach the ferry without relying on their cars." Commuters the paper interviewed from San Rafael and San Anselmo asked for more peak runs, later evening departures from San Francisco, and shuttles linking the Ross Valley to the terminal.

The district's own data shows riders already moving that way. SMART carried 8% of ferry riders to the terminal in 2024, up from zero in 2018. Over the same period the share who drive and park fell 6 points, and walking, biking and scooter trips rose 1.7 points. The Transportation Authority of Marin's Mobility Hub Plan, adopted September 24, recommends new sidewalks and curb ramps on Larkspur Landing Road, a new Highway 101 bus stop and a solar canopy at the Larkspur SMART station. Those still need approval from the agencies involved.

What the Ferry Looks Like Right Now

For anyone heading to the dock this week, the details are simpler than the planning documents. Parking at both lots costs $2 a day or $20 for a 30-day permit. Payment is required from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays and parking is free after 1 p.m., on weekends and on holidays with ferry service. Since July 1, 2026, the adult fare between Larkspur and San Francisco has been $9.50 with Clipper or a contactless card and $14 on paper. Contactless bank-card payment for adult fares started December 10, 2025.

This fall, mechanical issues have kept a temporary weekday schedule in place, with some runs replaced by buses. The district says bus trips can take up to 55 minutes and carry up to three bikes. Check the Larkspur schedule page before you leave.

The new boats are also part of the long-range plan. The district is replacing its fleet with Liwa-class vessels that carry 500 passengers, 50 more than today's largest catamarans, with room for 75 bikes. It expects to finish the switch by 2033. The keel of the first boat, the MV Liwa, was laid April 23, 2026, and the district projects it will enter service in 2028. If ridership does reach the forecasts, the changes would come in stages, with the new fleet complete by 2033, service back at 42 crossings around 2035, and Alternative 2's neighborhood shuttles as late as 2050.

Thursday at the Library

Tonight's open house, November 5, runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Larkspur Library, 10 Rose Lane. The district lists these ways to comment on the draft report:

1. Read the draft report and its appendices on the district's project documents page.
2. Comment in person at tonight's open house.
3. Email [email protected], call (415) 257-4493, or use the form on the study's main page.
4. Send comments by December 7, 2026, the deadline the district posts.

The district's email list on the same page sends updates as the study moves toward a final report and a board vote.

For many households here, the ferry is part of how their week works, and it can matter when they weigh a move up, a downsize or a new commute. If you'd like to talk through how Larkspur Landing and the terminal fit into your own plans, Deborah Cole is glad to help. Let's Connect.