Facebook Joins Google In Providing Worker Commute Ferry On San Francisco Bay
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - With employee shuttles increasingly drawing the ire of San Francisco natives, tech giants are hoping to find smoother sailing on San Francisco Bay.
Following in the footsteps of Google, Facebook is now shuttling workers to the South Bay via luxury catamaran. The Los Angeles Times reports that the social site began testing out the service – complete with Wi-Fi and snacks – for about 30 staffers on February 4th. The Times reports that the "water taxi" is in running two days a week will be re-evaluated after 90 days.
The boat picks up near AT&T Park and speeds down to Redwood City, where employees must still catch a bus to complete the trip to the Menlo Park headquarters.
The service began just over a month after Google launched a similar shuttle that can carry up to 149 passengers on a 47 minute float to Redwood City.
The bus alternatives comes as the charter bus lines running from San Francisco, which transport thousands of workers each day, have become a symbol of economic inequality and rising housing costs and evictions in San Francisco, leading to several protests in the city.
Last month, San Francisco transportation officials approved a new pilot plan to regulate the private employee shuttles and charge a fee for the vehicles to use public bus stops.