Miami Beach's Free Water Taxi Carries Over 155,000 Riders in Nine Months: Mayor Proposes a Regional Expansion
The free water taxi in Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, carried more than 155,000 passengers from its January 20 launch through September, topping 1,000 riders a day in peak season and beating expectations. Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said the city has received another Florida Department of Transportation grant and is seeking additional funding to expand the service.
The route links Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in Miami Beach with the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club on the Miami side of Biscayne Bay, an approximately 18-minute crossing that runs on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. According to a city memo, about 8 percent of passengers have been unable to board because of strong demand and limited vessel capacity, while more than 99 percent of scheduled trips were completed through August.
About $1.2 million was allocated for the initial operating period, split evenly between the city and the Florida Department of Transportation, and the estimated annual operating cost is $1.45 million. Meiner said the city has already received state grant funding for fiscal year 2027: 'We've gotten the grant funding already for 2027, so we're good to go with that.' He is also pursuing state and federal funding and possible contributions from Miami-Dade County and private businesses. Each new floating dock is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000, an additional vessel would cost about $1 million a year, and faster vessels could cut the crossing to 10 to 12 minutes at higher cost.
The city has completed a preliminary feasibility study identifying potential dock locations throughout Miami Beach and across Biscayne Bay, with a more detailed study of dock and seawall infrastructure due within the next couple of months. Potential expansion areas include South of Fifth and North Beach and connections to other parts of Miami and Miami-Dade County; earlier plans identified routes linking South of Fifth with Bayside Marketplace and Maurice Gibb Memorial Park with Mount Sinai Medical Center. Meiner said he envisions connecting the entire county by water taxi for about $50 million. The city has announced no timeline for new routes, docks or vessels, and while Meiner would prefer to keep the service free, he acknowledged a small fare could eventually be considered.
(Source: Miami Today, October 21, 2026; City of Miami Beach)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：从比斯坎湾望向迈阿密天际线（资料图）。作者 P. Hughes，CC BY 4.0，来源 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The Miami skyline from Biscayne Bay (file photo), by P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
