Our Origin Story

We started as a small group of curious local community members who asked, “Why don’t we have a passenger ferry service when nearly every major river city does?” Today, after four years of research and more than 2,500 meetings, we have more than 2,000 stakeholders and supporters and over 200 volunteers, many of whom serve on one of nine teams. From public officials to individual citizens to private sector business leaders to key employers, there is a passion to find a better way to navigate around our community. Together, we can bring a passenger ferry service to the region.

Our Mission

Hear more about Frog Ferry’s mission from our Founder and President, Susan Bladholm. In this 2:45 minute overview video, Susan reveals her passion for bringing a public, passenger ferry service to the Portland-Vancouver area through her rich experience in transportation and economic development in the region. She covers the inception and founding of the organization, research and feasibility studies, fundraising and phases of development, including the upcoming pilot.

How It Will Happen

Friends of Frog Ferry is a non-profit grassroots initiative to bring a world-class passenger ferry service to the Portland metro region. We have nine volunteer committees comprised of 200 industry experts, a transit savvy board, and more than 2,000 stakeholders and supporters.

We all know that an effective transportation system works best when there are multiple ways for people to get around efficiently. Studies show the operation is feasible and you can find results at frogferry.com/about/research

Frog Ferry will provide up to seven 70-100 passenger commuter vessels with up to 9 stops between Oregon City and Vancouver, Washington (no cars, but with bicycle storage). The service schedule, time and stops will vary based on demand. Estimated commute time Vancouver to Salmon Street = 44 minutes.

Route

Goals

  • Reduce congestion

     

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

     

  • Remove thousands of cars from the road every day

     

  • Build resiliency and emergency response

     

  • Enhance community livability

     

  • Provides a low-cost means of connecting marginalized populations with jobs and services

     

     

Operating Costs & Revenue Sources

Cost for 7 Vessels Operating 5 Days a Week

Startup Capital Construction Cost (Estimated 85% FTA Funding)

$40 Million

Annual Operational Subsidy

$2.5 Million

Passenger Capacity Moved Per Year (Based on 50% Capacity)

$800,000

avg-ticket-cost

Funding