 | |
 New York Water Taxi in motion | |
| Locale | New York City |
|---|---|
| Waterway | East River,Hudson River,Upper New York Bay |
| Transit type | Private TransportationWater Taxi |
| Owner | New York Cruise Lines |
| Began operation | September 25, 2002[1] |
| No. of vessels | 10 |
| Website | nywatertaxi |
New York Water Taxi (NYWT) is awater taxi service based inNew York City. It offers sightseeing, charter, and commuter services mainly to points along theEast River andHudson River. It is one of several private operators offerries,sightseeing boats, and water taxis in thePort 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 betweenDouglas 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]
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] New York Water Taxi established its homeport at theErie Basin inRed Hook, Brooklyn.[7]
In addition to providing ferry service, the company also operated three temporaryurban beaches in New York City. The originalWater Taxi Beach inLong 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.[8][9] The company also operated similar beaches onGovernors Island and at theSouth Street Seaport, both of which opened in 2009.[10][11]
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, andSeymour B. Durst vessels were designed byIncat Crowther of Sydney, Australia and built from 2005 to 2008 byGladding-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, andSchuyler 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.[12]
The New York Water Taxi can be chartered for trips around New York City and New Jersey.[13] In addition, the company operates an employee shuttle forNYU Langone Health that runs between theEast 34th Street Ferry Landing and theBrooklyn Army Terminal, providing a connection between NYU Langone's academic medical center in Manhattan andNYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn.[14][15] New York Water Taxi also operated a shuttle service fromPier 11/Wall Street to theIKEA superstore andFairway Market, both located inRed Hook, Brooklyn; this service, branded as the "Ikea Express Shuttle", is now operated on weekends only byNY Waterway. Another service, the Statue by Night cruise, travels along theEast River and aroundNew 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 aroundLower Manhattan andDumbo, which includes admission to theNational September 11 Memorial & Museum.
