Google Workers Get Free Ferry Rides to Work & Back

Google workers commuting from San Francisco to the company's Mountain View campus can now make the trip on an 83-foot, Wi-Fi-equipped catamaran. Google has launched a free ferry service from San Francisco's ferry terminal to the Port of Redwood City, where employees can hop a private bus to work, reports 'The Telegraph' via AP.

Named the Triumphant the charter ferry can carry up to 150 passengers and runs twice each morning and evening, with voyages lasting about 47 minutes each way, reports 'The Telegraph' citing news from KPIX-TV.

The news report adds that Google is hoping to defuse a growing controversy as the boat service started on the same day San Francisco city officials said Google and other tech companies, including Apple Inc. and Genentech Inc., that use public bus stops to pick up thousands of employees on private shuttles must pay roughly $1 per stop per day as part of an 18-month pilot program.

Source: 'The Telegraph'/AP