A water taxi or a water bus is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. [1] Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar manner to a taxi. A boat service shuttling between two points would normally be described as a ferry rather than a water bus or taxi.
The term water taxi is usually confined to a boat operating on demand, and water bus to a boat operating on a schedule. In North American usage, the terms are roughly synonymous.
The earliest water taxi service was recorded as operating around the area that became Manchester, England.[ citation needed ]
Cities and other places operating water buses and/or taxis include:
On demand water taxis are also commonly found in marinas, harbours and cottage areas, providing access to boats and waterfront properties that are not directly accessible by land.
On March 6, 2004, a water taxi on the Seaport Taxi service operated by the Living Classrooms Foundation capsized during a storm on the Patapsco River, near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. A total of five passengers died in the accident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused by insufficient stability when the small pontoon-style vessel encountered strong winds and waves. The company no longer operates water taxi vessels in Baltimore harbor. [25]
Transport in Macau includes road, sea, rail and air transport. Road transport is the primary mode of transport within Macau, although a new rail system opened in December 2019 serving the areas of Taipa and Cotai. The main forms of public transport are buses and taxis.
A ferry is a watercraft that carries passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water taxi or water bus.
New York Water Taxi (NYWT) is a water taxi service based in New York City. It offers sightseeing, charter, and commuter services mainly to points along the East River and Hudson River. It is one of several private operators of ferries, sightseeing boats, and water taxis in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is estimated that 100,000 people ride New York ferries every day.
HSC INCAT 046 was a wave-piercing catamaran passenger-vehicle ferry. It operated under various marketing names, including Devil Cat, The Cat, The Lynx, and lastly The T&T Express.
The King County Water Taxi is a passenger-only fast ferry service operated by the King County Metro Transit Department, Marine Division. It operates two routes between Downtown Seattle and West Seattle or Vashon Island.
Transport in Cardiff, capital and most populous city in Wales involves road, rail, bus, water and air. It is a major city of the United Kingdom and a centre of employment, government, retail, business, culture, media, sport and higher education.
The article Ferry transport in Queensland provides both historical and current information relating to scheduled public passenger ferry services in Queensland. The first ferry started on 1 January 1843 at Russell Street with a service across the Brisbane River.
The Liberty Landing Ferry, officially known as the Liberty Landing City Ferry, is a commuter ferry service based at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. It provides service between Liberty State Park and Liberty Harbor in Jersey City and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal at Brookfield Place in Battery Park City, Manhattan. It is one of several private operators of ferries, sightseeing boats, and water taxis in the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Bangkok, Thailand, has an extensive water transport system serving passengers crossing or travelling along the Chao Phraya River as well as certain canals.
The Cardiff Waterbus is a water bus service operated along the River Taff in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Services are operated by 4 separate companies, Cardiff Cats Ltd, Cardiff Cruises Ltd, Cardiff Boats Ltd, and Aquabus Water Transport Solutions Ltd, both for the leisure market and for commuters, but charter services are also offered. Boats running hourly during the day carrying up to 100 passengers from Cardiff city centre to Penarth via Cardiff Bay, forming a part of Cardiff's integrated transport system. The service started in April 2000.
River Link is a ferry, cruise boat, and bus operator, based in Devon, England. The company is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, who also own and operate the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
The Aquabus, also known as Aquabus Ferries Ltd., is a privately owned and operated ferry service that provides commuter and sightseeing services to locations all along False Creek of central Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Aquabus started service in 1986.
Granville Island Water Taxi Services was a privately owned and operated water taxi service in the Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada, which was replaced by English Bay Launch in the Fall of 2009. It was one of three water taxi services connecting Bowen Island to Vancouver with regularly scheduled service. It also offered on demand charter services around the greater Vancouver area.
Hornblower Cruises & Events NOW City Experiences, more commonly known simply as Hornblower is a San Francisco–based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company.
The Amfibus is an amphibious bus, developed and built by DAT Vehicles B.V., in Nijmegen, Netherlands, which was considered as a replacement for the Renfrew Ferry across the River Clyde.
Catalina Express is an American passenger ferry service that operates scheduled trips between Santa Catalina Island and mainland California. The company began service in 1981 with a single sixty-passenger vessel. As of 2016, the Catalina Express fleet includes eight high-speed vessels that can make the roughly 30-mile (48 km) crossing in about an hour.
Pier 11/Wall Street is a pier providing slips to ferries and excursion boats on the East River in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located east of South Street and FDR Drive just south of Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The ferry terminal has five landings, each with two berths, and is used by four privately owned companies.
The Presque Isle Water Taxi, sometimes referred to as the Aquabus, is a water taxi service operated by the Erie–Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (EWPPA) on Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pennsylvania. The water taxi departs from Dobbins Landing in downtown Erie and travels to the Waterworks in Presque Isle State Park, with a stopover at Liberty Park.
RiverCity Ferries is a public transport company which commenced operating ferry services in Brisbane on 4 November 2020. It is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group.