Using a new grant of federal stimulus money announced Tuesday, Baltimore plans to build a network of water taxis to carry workers year-round among the burgeoning neighborhoods of Canton, Fells Point and Locust Point.
The grant will allow the city to make pier improvements and buy two additional boats, significantly expanding a free, commuter-oriented service that began on a small scale in May. The runs between Fells Point and Tide Point have attracted a regular daily ridership of about 90 in less than three months, said Jamie Kendrick, deputy director of the Baltimore Department of Transportation.
The Canton service is expected to begin in mid-fall, he said. Like the Fells Point run, it will be operated five days a week.
Expanding water taxi service will help control automotive pollution and ease traffic congestion around the Inner Harbor, said Barry Robinson, the city's chief of transit and marine services.
"This is wonderful news for the city," said Mayor Sheila Dixon, who said it demonstrates the "great work" of her staff in securing competitive grants for Baltimore.
Among those who already use the Fells Point-Locust Point water taxi, known as the Inner Harbor Connector, the service is quite a hit.
Beth Huner, 29, and Matt Boyer, 34, disembarked yesterday at Fells Point after their trip in the water taxi Spry and were greeted with the news that the service is expanding to Canton.
"It'll be fabulous," said Huner, who lives there and now walks to the Fells Point pier behind the Living Classrooms building at Caroline and Thames streets.
Huner and Boyer, who lives in Butchers Hill, said they love their commute to Tide Point, where they both work for the UnderArmour athletic clothing company.
Matt Pearse, who lives in Upper Fells Point and works at Tide Point, said he uses the service almost every workday and loves it. Pearse said he now walks and takes a boat ride rather than driving around the Inner Harbor - a trip he said took 20 minutes in the morning and 25 minutes at night.
Kendrick said that in addition to paying for new boats and pier improvements, the federal money will let the city install electronic signs telling passengers when the next boat is expected to arrive.
The commuter taxi service now runs continuously from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday with departures every 10 to 15 minutes, Kendrick said. It is distinct from the seven-day-a-week tourist-oriented service, which charges a fare.
