Fort Lauderdale approves more options for water travel

By Intercoastal Realty on July 13, 2015

Fort Lauderdale approves more options for water travel

Residents and visitors to the city – nicknamed the Venice of America – may not be able to hop on a gondola here,but they are getting more ways to travel on water. In addition to Water Taxi, which has been around for decades, and Water Trolley, a free service started along Riverwalk last year, a new taxi service called Water Bus has won city approval and will start operating in November. For customers, it means more time on the water, seven additional choices for stops and eventually an on­call service that would act like a “door­to­door service” for people with waterfront homes.

“Water­based movement is what makes us unique over almost any other city in this country,” said Chris Wren, director of the Downtown Development Authority. Wren said anything that encourages people to get out on the water – whether for sightseeing or an alternative means of getting around the city – is an attractive advertisement highlighting the city’s 165 miles of waterways. “Our visitors are always looking for easy, convenient ways to get around. This way also happens to be iconic to Fort Lauderdale,” said Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “You can’t be the ‘Venice of America’ and not offer choices on the water.”

Water Taxi runs on the New River and Intracoastal Waterway, going north to Bokamper’s Sports Bar and Grill on the north side of Oakland Park Boulevard and has service as far south as the Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort near Hallandale Beach Boulevard. It has a dozen designated stops in Fort Lauderdale and three in Hollywood.

Read more about this in the Sun Sentinel