Wada Hoppah Ferry Is Almost Ready to Take Boston Commuters off the Roads

The Wada Hoppah ferry is fully electric and built to operate with minimal wake. Rollert said the goal is to move through the water with as little disruption as possible. The boat uses a patented system and can navigate in as little as 16 inches of water. The ripples it produces are described as small. That matters for a river like the Charles, which has specific conditions and regulations around wake impact.

The planned route for the Wada Hoppah ferry starts at Watertown Square and works into the city with stops at Herter Park in Brighton, Cambridgeport near the Memorial Drive Trader Joe’s, Gloucester Street on the Boston Esplanade, a stop serving Boston University and Fenway Park, Commissioners Landing near Beacon Hill, Kendall Square in Cambridge, and a final stop next to TD Garden.

That route covers the heart of the city’s commuter corridor. The stops serve students, workers, and anyone who has ever sat on Memorial Drive watching the minutes go by.

Fares for the Wada Hoppah ferry will run around $12 to $15. Each boat will carry a dozen or more passengers. Rollert has also said the company plans to offer a passenger experience that includes coffee, wine, or other beverages on board. He described the experience bluntly.

“You will just be cruising by all that Storrow and Memorial Drive traffic, giggling,” he said.

The DCR Permit Is the Last Thing Standing Between the Wada Hoppah Ferry and Your Commute

Before the Wada Hoppah ferry can carry paying passengers, it needs a permit from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The DCR confirmed to NBC Boston that it has been working with Rollert’s team as the concept develops.

According to the DCR, issuing a permit depends on several factors: an accessibility assessment of the boats and docks, the compatibility of the ferry with the proposed dock infrastructure, and specifics about how passengers board and disembark. The agency said once it has all the necessary information, it will determine next steps.

Rollert said the shell of the Wada Hoppah ferry was complete as of late May and could already float on the river if needed. The plan is to complete route testing in the coming days with passengers on board by early July.

The idea itself has been years in development. Rollert said the concept came to him after he missed a Red Sox game because of traffic. He spent years studying the Charles River to understand how to safely navigate its shallow areas and constraints before designing the boat. There was no template to work from. Rollert said the team had to figure much of it out on their own.

Why the Wada Hoppah Ferry Could Actually Change Boston Commuting

Anyone who has sat on Storrow Drive at 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday understands immediately why the Wada Hoppah ferry exists. Boston’s road system was not designed for current demand. The MBTA fills a critical role, but it cannot serve every route. A water connection from Watertown through Cambridge and into downtown, running quietly on electricity, is exactly the kind of creative approach the city needs more of.

Rollert has said he hopes to eventually operate multiple Wada Hoppah ferry boats on the river. The goal for now is to get the first boat permitted, tested, and carrying riders. If it works the way he describes, the demand will take care of itself.

Early July cannot come soon enough.

Would you take the Wada Hoppah ferry to work, or does river commuting still feel too out there? Let us know in the comments.