From prequalification of interested boatyards to review of Technical
and Cost Proposals, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority has launched into the procurement
process for its first two ferryboats.
These "spare boats" are funded with new bridge
tolls from Regional Measure 2 and will be
available to existing operators in case their
boats are out of service for repairs or if local
operators need increased passenger
capacity. Later, the boats can be phased into
various WTA service routes. Being a leader in
the maritime environmental arena, the WTA
set the following boat standards: emissions
that beat Federal EPA 2007 diesel emissions
regulations by 85%, minimal wake wash design, and inclusion of
sonar to minimize any possibility of a whale strike. The boats are
scheduled for delivery in late 2007 and will carry up to 220
passengers and more than 25 bikes.