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Earlier this month, during Miami Art Week and Art Basel, the City of Miami Beach rolled out a free water taxi between Miami and Miami Beach, offering people a rare, traffic-free alternative across Biscayne Bay. Both tourists and locals alike were enthusiastic about the service, praising its convenience and speed. Many also asked: Why isn’t this available year-round?
Well, it soon will be.
On Wednesday morning, Miami Beach commissioners voted to enter into an agreement with Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale LLC to operate a free ferry between Miami and Miami Beach.
The no-fare service is slated to begin January 20, 2026.
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Photo by Miami Beach
Miami Beach sent New Times a press release announcing the water taxi. “l’ve been actively working to bring a free water taxi system to Miami Beach — a game-
changing initiative that can alleviate traffic congestion through cleaner more efficient transit,” Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said in the release. “It’s an exciting time to move forward with mobility projects that truly improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors.”
According to the city’s agreement, the service will operate Monday through Friday, excluding national holidays, and will run between the Venetian Marina & Yacht Club in Miami and Mauricie Gibb Memorial Park in Miami Beach. One vessel will operate every 60 minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while two vessels will operate every 30 minutes from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Miami Beach schedule
The total cost of the service for the 2026 fiscal year is just under $1.2 million, according to the agreement.
Miami Beach has attempted to introduce a water taxi to the city before.
In June 2024, Miami Beach officials agreed to fund a 149-passenger water taxi — known as the Poseidon Ferry — at $50,000 per month through a no-bid deal. The ferry launched took hourly trips between Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in South Beach and Sea Isle Marina in downtown Miami, with one-way fares costing $12 for adults. (Miami Beach residents and city employees rode free for the first month, after which they were charged $5).
But things quickly went downhill.
Mechanical issues interrupted operations on July 4 and July 6, followed by additional failures that led to five consecutive days without service in mid-July. Several more partial service interruptions followed.
The vessel broke down again from August 7 to 9. Service briefly resumed the next day after the operator struck a deal to use a different boat, but it was suspended indefinitely in late August when that spare vessel became unavailable.
In September, just three months after the service launched, city officials voted unanimously to end funding for the program.
“This service has proven to be unreliable, and the taxpayers deserve better,” Miami Beach commissioner Alex Fernandez told the Miami Herald last year. “Right now, it’s just irresponsible to continue with this.”
Aside from mechanical mishaps, the water taxi also struggled with low ridership.
While the service operated, average ridership hovered around 43 passengers per day, according to city data. During the first month, an average of three passengers boarded each trip. By August, ridership had fallen to fewer than one passenger per trip.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
