New Cuyahoga River water taxi launches with expanded service
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The exterior and interior of Cleveland Water Taxi's new Harbor Hopper. Photos: Courtesy of Cleveland Water Taxi
A new water taxi on the Cuyahoga River launches Monday with daily service and a wider reach than its predecessors.
Why it matters: City leaders and business owners see a more robust water taxi as a key link connecting residents and cruise visitors to the attractions of the Flats.
The big picture: The river has long been the route of Great Lakes freighters hauling iron ore to Cleveland-Cliffs.
- With hundreds of new apartments opening soon on the Scranton Peninsula and more cruise ships than ever docking downtown, it's time to ferry people alongside the raw materials.
🛥️ How it works:
- Cleveland Water Taxi's Harbor Hopper — painted yellow to resemble a taxi cab — can carry about 50 passengers and will operate from the CLE Tiki Barge dock on the Flats West Bank.
- Owner Brittany Orlando, who also owns the Tiki Barge, purchased the boat from Tampa's Pirate Water Taxi, she said in an Instagram video posted by the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
- Fares start at $10 for a one-stop hop. Evening ($15), daily ($25), weekly ($65) and even yearlong ($199) passes will be available for purchase.
Between the lines: Unlike the Metroparks' eLCee2, which operates weekends only on a limited loop from the West Bank to the East Bank, the Harbor Hopper will run daily through the end of the year and travel further downriver.
- Initial planned stops include the Water Taxi's Main Hub near Christie's Cabaret, the Flats East Bank boardwalk, Collision Bend Brewing Company and the BrewDog Cleveland Outpost on the Scranton Peninsula.
Zoom out: Orlando, who partnered with Flats Forward on the venture, says the Harbor Hopper will pick up cruise ship guests as they arrive at the Port of Cleveland and that more stops and additional partnerships are on the horizon.
What they're saying: "This is a bigger option to kind of spread yourself around Cleveland," she said in the GCP video.
- "I'm excited for connecting people coming and traveling to Cleveland for conventions, people coming into town on cruises ships, people that live and work and play here — just providing a reliable alternative resource for transportation."