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The tour and cruise operator, Red and White Fleet, was ordered Thursday by the state Public Utility Commission to continue running its weekday ferry service from Richmond to San Francisco. 

“We don’t have cash,” said John Clark, attorney for the Red and White Fleet, who was visibly agitated after Public Utilities Commission administrative judge Sheldon Rosenthal rendered his ruling. 

“We can’t buy gas. We can’t pay the crew,” Clark told the judge. The PUC granted the Red and White Fleet permission to operate the route last year. 

The San Francisco-based company had announced earlier this week that it would halt its ferry service from the Richmond Ferry Terminal to San Francisco after its last trip on Sept. 28. Red and White Fleet officials said not enough people are riding the ferry and that had caused losses of $1 million since the route’s inception one year ago. 

“I’m really elated,” said Karen Dorantes, 45, a Bank of America employee and a belly dancer who has performed on the ferry in a bid to attract new riders. 

Dorantes is a member of Friends of the Ferry, a group of East Bay commuters,  

who is fighting the company’s effort to shut down the ferry route. The group appeared at the emergency meeting held at the Public Utilities Commission in  

San Francisco. Dorantes said she didn’t buy Red and White’s argument that it doesn’t have the money to continue the service. 

“If you don’t have any cash, how come you still have money to operate the (Pacific) Bell ballpark runs? If you don’t have any cash, how can you keep your excursion boats and your charter business?” Dorantes asked. 

Red and White Fleet had wanted to stop running its Richmond to San Francisco  

route last month, backing out of an agreement it had with Richmond to operate until September 2001. It filed a cessation application with the PUC last  

month. 

But Red and White’s attempt to sever the route came just two weeks after the PUC told the company to continue service at least until October, when it would hold full hearings on the matter. 

These hearings are scheduled for Oct. 25. 

Red and White attorney John Clark said he did not know how his client would run its boats Friday morning. 

“I haven’t see anyone come up with taking money out of their pockets to hand to the ferry to allow the boat to operate,” he said. 

The company has said that about 50 people use its $5 dollar each-way service everyday. It had anticipated at least 200 people per day. 

Friends of the Ferry said ridership is low because the company has not properly marketed the route. The group has handed out flyers and passed out free tickets to promote the ferry runs. 

As she sat on the boat Thursday morning, Friends of the Ferry member Betty  

Lucas, 45, said more people would ride if the company would just advertise  

more aggressively. 

“It’s a slap in the face,” said Lucas. “They never did the work that they were supposed to do. People don’t want to sit in traffic. They want alternatives.”