Miami Beach, Florida– South Florida commuters traveling to and from the beach may be able to save some time and money by getting off the roads and into the water.
Officials fired free Water taxi Service is Tuesday, with 40-foot (12-meter) boats carrying up to 55 people on a 20-minute trip across Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach.
Miami Beach Transportation Director Jose Gonzalez said the service’s ultimate goal is to reduce passenger traffic between cities.
“Right now, our bridges are at capacity, and our roads are full,” Gonzalez said. “However, we have not explored our waterways as a means of transportation.”
Water taxi service will operate from piers at Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in Miami Beach and the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club on the Miami side of the bay. Similar water taxi services have been very popular over the past couple of years Art Basel Miami BeachWhich is a major part of Miami Arts Week.
The city of Miami Beach covers approximately 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) on a barrier island, located across the bay and east of the city of Miami.
“Our roads are very restricted,” Gonzalez said. “We only have three bridges connecting us to the mainland.” “As a result, traffic congestion is a major issue in our city. We are constantly looking for ways to address and alleviate this congestion and provide better options for our constituents and visitors.”
Ships will run approximately every 60 minutes during weekday mornings and afternoons and every 30 minutes during weekday evenings. The service will initially not operate on weekends. Once residents and visitors arrive in Miami Beach, they will be able to use the city for free Cart service.
It is expected that the cost of operating the new service will amount to about $1.2 million annually, half of which will come from the city of Miami Beach and the other half will come from a government grant. While the initial route will only run east-west, officials hope to add north-south routes in the future, depending on funding.
Jane Kvyat, who was visiting South Florida from Mexico City, made a round trip on the new water taxi.
“It was great because they make you feel like you’re on a tourist vacation and we’re having a good time,” Kvyat said. “The people were so nice, and it’s a very easy way to get there and back and have fun.”