New York Water Taxi

Not to be confused with NY Waterway, another ferry and water taxi service in New York City.
New York Water Taxi
New York Water Taxi in motion
LocaleNew York City
WaterwayEast River, Hudson River, Upper New York Bay
Transit typePrivate Transportation Water Taxi
OwnerNew York Cruise Lines
Began operationSeptember 25, 2002[1]
No. of vessels10
Websitenywatertaxi.com

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.[2]

NYWT was originally an affiliate company of The Durst Organization Inc., a partnership venture between Douglas Durst and Tom Fox. NYWT has been in existence since September 2002,[3] beginning with a fleet of six yellow vessels with black and white checks. Today, the fleet consists of 10 vessels.[4]

In January 2017, New York Cruise Lines purchased New York Water Taxi.[5]

History

New York Water Taxi began operation in September 2002. It started with a fleet of six yellow vessels with black and white checks. The company was born out of a vision of reclaiming New York Harbor for transportation and recreation.[6]

In addition to providing ferry service, the company also operated three temporary urban beaches in New York City. The original Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City operated from 2005 to 2010, and was designed to attract visitors to the East River waterfront and make weekend ferries serving the new residential high-rises near the Hunters Point ferry landing financially viable.[7][8] The company also operated similar beaches on Governors Island and at the South Street Seaport, both of which opened in 2009.[9][10]

Vessels

The Ed Rogowsky on the East River near Brooklyn Heights
The Gene Flatow on the East River approaching the Brooklyn Bridge

New York Water Taxi operates a fleet of 10 vessels of two classes. The 67.1-foot (20.5 m) Ed Rogowsky, Gene Flatow, Marian S Heiskell, Sam Holmes, and Seymour B. Durst vessels were designed by Incat Crowther of Sydney, Australia and built from 2005 to 2008 by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, and are capable of carrying up to 149 passengers at a speed of 28 knots. The 53.3-foot (16.2 m) Curt Berger, John Keith, Michael Mann, Mickey Murphy, and Schuyler Meyer Jr. were designed by Nigel Gee of Southampton, England and were built from 2002 to 2003 by Robert E. Derecktor Connecticut Shipyards, LLC, and are capable of carrying up to 74 passengers at 24 knots.[11]

Services

The New York Water Taxi can be chartered for trips around New York City and New Jersey.[12] In addition, the company operates an employee shuttle for NYU Langone Health that runs between the East 34th Street Ferry Landing and the Brooklyn Army Terminal, providing a connection between NYU Langone's academic medical center in Manhattan and NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn.[13][14] New York Water Taxi also operated a shuttle service from Pier 11/Wall Street to the IKEA superstore and Fairway Market, both located in Red Hook, Brooklyn; this service, branded as the "Ikea Express Shuttle", is now operated on weekends only by NY Waterway. Another service, the Statue by Night cruise, travels along the East River and around New York Harbor. Seasonal cruises include Fall Foliage, Audubon Winter and Summer EcoCruises, and New Year's Eve Family Cruises.

The New York Water Taxi also sells a day pass that travels around Lower Manhattan and Dumbo, which includes admission to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

References

  1. ^ "New York City Water Taxi Company Takes Off". Associated Press. October 21, 2002. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Kaminer, Ariel (June 5, 2010). "What New York Needs: More Water Taxis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  3. ^ Sutherland, Don (March 8, 2005). "NY's New 'Taxi Driver'". Marine Link. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "New York Water Taxi – Marine Transportation | Private Charters". New York Water Taxi. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Circle Line owner hops on New York Water Taxi". Marine Log. January 12, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "The History of New York Water Taxi". New York Water Taxi. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Johnston, Garth (April 5, 2011). "Water Taxi Beach LIC Is Dead, Water Taxi Beach Seaport Is German (And No Longer A Beach)". Gothamist. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Potkewitz, Hilary (September 17, 2007). "Tiny beach proves a surprising hit". Crain's New York Business. ProQuest 219135398.
  9. ^ Shapiro, Julie (April 5, 2011). "Upscale Beer Garden Will Replace Seaport's Water Taxi Beach". DNAinfo. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Water Taxi Beach Governors Island Will Hit The Harbor This Summer". The Trust for Governors Island. February 25, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Our Boats". New York Water Taxi. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  12. ^ Hassard, Atlan (December 28, 2023). "How to navigate the ferry systems in New York City". Spectrum News NY1. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Weiss, Lois (April 23, 2018). "NYU Langone hospital's dramatic revamp is nearly done". New York Post. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Blenkey, Nick (November 3, 2022). "New York Cruise Lines plans to operate first zero-emissions electric ferry in NYC". Marine Log. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
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