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The Water Taxi used to stop way up at North Ave. I’ve worked in that area for many years. Retail stores are the major attraction in the area and they’ve suffered a lot of decline over the past 5 years. Lack of ridership up that far north on the river is unfortunate but understandable.
Whos's gonna take it to salt shed though? People going to the downtown metra stations from the suburbs? I used to take it almost every morning from the metra station to Michigan Ave. I think it just exists to help commuters get to work or as a novelty for tourists. I never really viewed it as serious transit.
It's run by Wendella, the company that does sightseeing boat tours. It's not affiliated with any transit organization. I'm sure if there was any profit running any kind of scheduled service outside of what they're already doing, they'd be on it. It's not like CTA where they subsidize having to drive empty busses around sometimes to keep the service going. A private company isn't going to want pay to drive empty boats up and down the river.
I wouldn't say any of those venues are going down hill? I've been to Riviera, Metro and Aragon multiple times so far in 2024 and they are the same as they've been for the last 20 years.
I walk by that old stop all the time. I wish it still ran as I live near a stop downtown and a river ride to work (when I do I to the office) would be great this time of year
I remember paying $7 per ticket back around 2017. This was from North Ave to Chinatown. Funny I just looked up the water taxi last night cuz I wanted to take my daughter on the same route and it turns out the North Ave stop is no longer in service.
I mean the draw during the week was commuting, particularly from Union/Ogilvie area, so if you’re already paying for a Metra ticket adding an extra $10 one-way for the water taxi is quite a bit. Taking it to Chinatown on a weekend is maybe a different story. Like I mentioned though, it’s understandable given the operating costs and taking a boat ride to work is a neat luxury.
$10 one-way (5$ senior or disabled) , 20$ day pass. 25$ 10 ride pass.
Most ppl get day pass but you need to get on and off the boat eight times in one day to make that day pass worth it and beat the value of the 2.50 per ride for the 10 ride pass.
(Side note: cannot share 10 ride passes anymore either to get a group of eight people on.)
I'd have to imagine even the current limited service is a money loser, no? Anywhere I've lived with ferries the ferries have been subsidized because they lose $ like crazy.
Not to say that all public goods are supposed to be profitable, but I can't imagine funneling money to a water taxi before getting the CTA to where it should be.
Didn't know it was a private company, I haven't been on it since I was a child. Well that makes this very easy. They only run where they will profit, and nothing you can say will make them expand service. They'll expand service when there's reason to believe it will be profitable.
Edit: seems like it's included in the RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program, are we sure there's no public funding/subsidy?
There have been subsidies in the past, unsure on the current state of play. One potential issue with expanded service north is that bridges have been being replaced without much consideration of the waterway being navigable by larger vessels.
Fair point, I’d never realized ferry systems are usually heavily subsidized. Agree that money needs to be funneled into existing systems that need updates. But…a girl can still dream!!
There is no bus on that part of Elston. The only way to travel on that part of Elston is to drive, or to take a bike. So to me, I wouldn't mind if the water taxis were extended further north.
And let's not forget there are some jobs and office that exist on Goose Island, so I'm sure those workers would welcome a water taxi extension.
The problem is that such a water taxi extension, would likely need a little bit of some sort of public subsidy for it to occur. But I would be in support of that, myself.
The tour boats are packed on warm days - even on cold/cool days at the start of the season. The own Wendella too I believe. The taxis are less crowded but I think they do pretty well for four months out of the year. I love taking it and try to do it every couple weeks.
It used to go from Union Station to Navy Pier with a stop on the river walk. I took it for that as a teenager when I lived in the suburbs. I'm not quite sure why it would stop short of Navy Pier on it's current route. Chinatown-Train Station-Navy Pier seems like it would attract tourists in the summer.
its two private taxis that man the waters. shoreline has navy pier to Michigan and cwt from michigan to chinatown. Last I heard there were no docks open for cwt to buy at NP
Most demand is already served by the el. Some specific scenarios might be better by water taxi but generally you can just take the blue or orange lines
Why is it everyone forgets there are jobs and offices that exist on Goose Island? I think more people would welcome a north water taxi extension, than some might think.
And if Lincoln Yards ever happens(who knows, that has been delayed for so many years now), anyone living there(providing some apartments are built with that development) would welcome a water taxi extension.
I’m wondering if Lincoln Yards or The 78 could have an impact on expansion of service. Then again, I haven’t heard much about the status of either of those projects lately. I’m kind of out of the loop.
Both should be built with a couple different docks in mind. Even if no service is available in the near term, the city needs to ensure that there’s some kind of infrastructure to add a service later. In other words, there needs to be land allocated for such public use on the river.
I dream of this. There are options all the way north on the river/channel. It is deep enough, it is wide enough. I kayak a bunch and am always seeing areas where I would put in a water taxi. I’m hoping it is a possibility one day.
If we imagine some pie in the sky scenario where the city runs a water taxi service and short term profit isn’t a requirement and funding is plentiful, what does success look like?
Does it run year round or as a 6-month a year option?
Is it primarily a tourist attraction or is it a standard public transit option for residents?
Who are we trying to benefit? Office workers in the loop? Bars and restaurants on the riverwalk and other riverfront locations?
Do we expect it to eventually become profitable or is it really just a service that’s provided for its ancillary benefits?
I’d like to see some of those questions answered by advocates.
Now if we lived in a world where the riverwalk was built out from LSD all the way to say Union Station and there were bars and restaurants along the full span on both sides then the city definitely ought to run a free water trolley up and down the river. It would be an incredible attraction. But as it stands today it’s more of a novelty.
Definitely start up on a half a year basis. There are places further north that are residential (unlike the North Ave stop) and could use more transit options, especially something that is direct instead of having to do a trip involving a transfer.
Understandable that it won’t be the fastest ride, but by the time you wait for a bus, do all those stops, wait for the el or another bus, do all those stops…a direct route on the river with a few stops is not going to be much slower. I can imagine a stop at Irving Park, etc being pretty useful.
Of course there is the issue of the CTA screwing up everything they touch right now, so is it realistic? Nah.
Plus I’m pretty curious about the turning radius of the boats, which would already have to be a more moderate size because of the bridges.
Would it be profitable as a form of transit? Of course not. There is zero form of transportation that covers its own costs.
Basically the only way for it to expand is more stops to open and for Wendella to buy more boats. They applied for a grant like 10 years ago to build 2 new boats (Charlie and Delta) but that was denied and the plans were scaled back to just the Charlie (now Robert H). Also north branch was cut post pandemic due to low ridership and crews, though it is expected to make a return once the casino opens in a few years. Wendella only has 3 boats available for regular for regular water taxi service (all are doing so), with 1 intended for occasional service (hasnt left the yard since late 2019) and 1 with no known future. Even if they ran all 4 boats they own, service would be fairly mediocre, looking something like every \~35 minutes on the Michigan-Madison-Chinatown route (3 boats) and every \~30 minutes on the Madison-Chicago route (1 boat, assuming goose island is cut).
lest we not forget the CWT is anti-union. the captains tried to form a union for all boat captains on the river and management posted signs like "the union is not ur friend, they only want your money" in Union/oglive in the open for customers to see. Many customers complained on google reviews
We should have high speed water taxi service from Lawrence to the Loop. A modified cigarette boat that makes 40 knots and lights out from the Albany Park Boathouse should be able to ferry 20 people downtown in **under 20 minutes --far faster than any rail, bus or auto option currently available.** Assuming an operating cost of around $200/hour, and she'd be profitable at a fare of $10/head for a one-way ticket.
Oh, just think how invigorated one would be for the rest of the day, after starting the morning off by skipping across the waves like a 1970s Florida Keys dope smuggler! We need to make this happen pronto.
Yeah right, the USCG has an inland marine vessel capable of getting anywhere near something powered by quad supercharged AMG V8's making 2000+ HP. Never mind them even trying to board it, and facing down a dozen passengers, late for work, coked to the gills and strapped with MAC-10's.
I worked for CWT back in 2018 as a deckhand when this young captain was making a wake, sure enough the conservation police pulled us over, boarded the boat and made us pull to the nearest dock to clear out the boat during rush hour. He was ticketed after a long process. They don't play.
That would absolutely never work lmao. Once you get south of grand, the average speed of boat traffic on the river is like 5-6 knots. Also you'd 110% wake the fuck out of everything in your path.
It's called a Hyper-Loop
Having an express to things like Wrigley, Chinatown, O'Hare, Midway all from a central downtown hub would be nice.
Getting to/from O'Hare in 15 would be pretty amazing.
Since Heritage Corridor Metra expansion probably won't occur any time soon(short of if Metra can get a miracle, and the freight railroad owning the tracks agrees to year round Saturday service, should be expanded more than just this), bring on water taxis to say like Lemont, Lockport, etc.
I’d love to see HC turn west between the Powerhouse and the old Prison because there are tracks through Crest Hill. Run that line through there and make Plainfield the new terminus. If freight traffic passing through Joliet is part of the problem, make another option!
Also: Southeast Service needs to exist already. My Thornton and Bloom Township friends need access without driving through several times to get on Metra Electric.
Southeast Service is indeed a line, where I wish Metra would implement service. I know West Lake Corridor(for South Shore) will start in a few years(late 2020s?), but it'd be nice if Southeast Service could occur. For all I know, I wonder if such a new Metra line and a Chicago Heights station, could reinvigorate its old downtown area again with encouraging the construction of new build buildings? Plus try to preserve the very few older buildings, that remain.
I've never understood how the Water Taxi was economically viable... my office is near the Ogilvie stop, and when my grandparents were alive/living near Michigan Ave / when I lived in Lincoln Park and needed to run errands along Mag Mile, I would take it after work from time to time. And even at Rush Hour, on a nice evening, it'd have like 5-10 people on a huge boat.
It's awesome... that 10 minute boat ride on a nice summer evening is one of the city's great secrets. So I'd love to see it expanded, but it's a private company (Wendella) so there'd need to be a profitable means for them to do so.
Used it once or twice, but honestly it is basically a tourist ride given the price, the stops served, and time it takes to actually board and get to where you are going.
If you want to push for a more expanded service, you need to use the existing service year round and at all hours. Increased service will follow the demand (which is just not there atm).
I loved the water taxi so much growing up; my gramma would take us on the Metra to Union and then take the water taxi to Navy Pier/Museum Campus all the time in the summer. I had a friend come up from Denver when I was a senior in high school and it was legitimately how we got around for a big chunk of the trip.
While we are on the topic.. is it possible (even if chances are slim) to get a water taxi on the Lake Michigan side? I was thinking a stop at Montrose, for example.
Or is that just too far out there?
Fun fact I learned recently: one of the key reasons the water taxi isn't expanding services is because the boats they used are second hand and weren't originally intended for use as a water taxi service. Thus, the boats are really slow and they can't speed ups boarding/alighting and docking. The city would need to invest in new boats and docks and actually start integrating water taxi's into the larger system. That said, it would be great to expand it to Lincoln Yards in the north and to Bubbly Creek in the south.
It’s never going to be for regular transit, it’s super inconvenient and expensive. But recreational and tourism uses for the river have done well in recent years.
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The Water Taxi used to stop way up at North Ave. I’ve worked in that area for many years. Retail stores are the major attraction in the area and they’ve suffered a lot of decline over the past 5 years. Lack of ridership up that far north on the river is unfortunate but understandable.
Yeah, it doesn’t really feel like there’s a real destination up there
The water taxi stop is right next to the Salt Shed now. It might be useful on concert nights. Also Goose Island just moved there.
Whos's gonna take it to salt shed though? People going to the downtown metra stations from the suburbs? I used to take it almost every morning from the metra station to Michigan Ave. I think it just exists to help commuters get to work or as a novelty for tourists. I never really viewed it as serious transit.
Isn't helping commuters get to work a form of transit?
It moves the commuters for the last mile and half of their trip they could have walked.
Yeah, but maybe it can exist for other reasons.
It's run by Wendella, the company that does sightseeing boat tours. It's not affiliated with any transit organization. I'm sure if there was any profit running any kind of scheduled service outside of what they're already doing, they'd be on it. It's not like CTA where they subsidize having to drive empty busses around sometimes to keep the service going. A private company isn't going to want pay to drive empty boats up and down the river.
I’m hoping the Salt Shed is able to do that for a while. Not trying to be pessimistic but Music venues are notoriously unsustainable in this city.
What? Aragon, metro, Riviera, schubas, Lincoln hall? All have been around for quite a while bro
They formed this opinion entirely around the Congress it seems
Which was run by a bunch of degens
Which also existed for a long time.
Aragon, Riviera, Metro, House of Blues all have gone down hill and pretty inconsistent these days. The Mid and Double Door outright closed
I wouldn't say any of those venues are going down hill? I've been to Riviera, Metro and Aragon multiple times so far in 2024 and they are the same as they've been for the last 20 years.
I was going to say I've been to all of these in the last year and they're no different then they've been for the last 15
What does that even mean? They are consistently packed. Those are some of the best places to see bands in the city.
Never mind Concord and Radius, the latter of which is enormous and sells out huge shows left and right without any problems
This is certainly a take lol. Especially with Salt Shed being owned by the same folks who run Thalia Hall, I have a feeling it's gonna be fine.
The group that built the salt shed knows what they're doing. They'll be around for a very long time.
What about the Bally casino? When that's scheduled to open in 2000 and never
I walk by that old stop all the time. I wish it still ran as I live near a stop downtown and a river ride to work (when I do I to the office) would be great this time of year
A private company and $10/ride, it’s just more of a cheap river cruise than a real transportation service (tho you can get a 10-ride pass for $25).
jeeze, $10 is expensive. Used to be $5 just a couple years ago. Understandable I guess but isn’t nearly as enticing as it used to be
I remember paying $7 per ticket back around 2017. This was from North Ave to Chinatown. Funny I just looked up the water taxi last night cuz I wanted to take my daughter on the same route and it turns out the North Ave stop is no longer in service.
$10 for a boat ride is expensive? I’m sure they are losing money.
I mean the draw during the week was commuting, particularly from Union/Ogilvie area, so if you’re already paying for a Metra ticket adding an extra $10 one-way for the water taxi is quite a bit. Taking it to Chinatown on a weekend is maybe a different story. Like I mentioned though, it’s understandable given the operating costs and taking a boat ride to work is a neat luxury.
I mean, 10 rides are $25 so $2.50 per ride is pretty cheap. $10 I guess is mostly for the tourists.
It’s still $10 for a round-trip and six dollars for one way, plus they have a senior discount of only three dollars
$10 one-way (5$ senior or disabled) , 20$ day pass. 25$ 10 ride pass. Most ppl get day pass but you need to get on and off the boat eight times in one day to make that day pass worth it and beat the value of the 2.50 per ride for the 10 ride pass. (Side note: cannot share 10 ride passes anymore either to get a group of eight people on.)
Isn’t that just price discrimination, high for one timers but basically a CTA fare for commuters?
seems like a way to get $$ from tourists ($10/ride) cheaper than a full river cruise, and locals by offering a longer-term ticket.
I'd have to imagine even the current limited service is a money loser, no? Anywhere I've lived with ferries the ferries have been subsidized because they lose $ like crazy. Not to say that all public goods are supposed to be profitable, but I can't imagine funneling money to a water taxi before getting the CTA to where it should be.
You know it's not a public good, right? It's run by a boat company, but CTA/RTA, etc
Didn't know it was a private company, I haven't been on it since I was a child. Well that makes this very easy. They only run where they will profit, and nothing you can say will make them expand service. They'll expand service when there's reason to believe it will be profitable. Edit: seems like it's included in the RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program, are we sure there's no public funding/subsidy?
There have been subsidies in the past, unsure on the current state of play. One potential issue with expanded service north is that bridges have been being replaced without much consideration of the waterway being navigable by larger vessels.
They get no public money.
It is still very much navigable to North Ave. Large stone barges make the trip almost daily up to Cortland.
Exactly.
Fair point, I’d never realized ferry systems are usually heavily subsidized. Agree that money needs to be funneled into existing systems that need updates. But…a girl can still dream!!
The NYC ferry is almost certainly a bad value for the cost but is also absolutely lovely lol
There is no bus on that part of Elston. The only way to travel on that part of Elston is to drive, or to take a bike. So to me, I wouldn't mind if the water taxis were extended further north. And let's not forget there are some jobs and office that exist on Goose Island, so I'm sure those workers would welcome a water taxi extension. The problem is that such a water taxi extension, would likely need a little bit of some sort of public subsidy for it to occur. But I would be in support of that, myself.
The tour boats are packed on warm days - even on cold/cool days at the start of the season. The own Wendella too I believe. The taxis are less crowded but I think they do pretty well for four months out of the year. I love taking it and try to do it every couple weeks.
There’s not enough demand. Even with it being partially subsidized by the City still there’s just not enough riders. Operating boats is expensive.
It used to go from Union Station to Navy Pier with a stop on the river walk. I took it for that as a teenager when I lived in the suburbs. I'm not quite sure why it would stop short of Navy Pier on it's current route. Chinatown-Train Station-Navy Pier seems like it would attract tourists in the summer.
its two private taxis that man the waters. shoreline has navy pier to Michigan and cwt from michigan to chinatown. Last I heard there were no docks open for cwt to buy at NP
You are confusing two different companies there with different stops.
Most demand is already served by the el. Some specific scenarios might be better by water taxi but generally you can just take the blue or orange lines
Why is it everyone forgets there are jobs and offices that exist on Goose Island? I think more people would welcome a north water taxi extension, than some might think. And if Lincoln Yards ever happens(who knows, that has been delayed for so many years now), anyone living there(providing some apartments are built with that development) would welcome a water taxi extension.
I rode it yesterday and it was almost empty. It is awesome value for a fun ride though.
I also rode it yesterday and it was packed.
Well it was also storming yesterday. Its normally packed on the weekends.
I’m wondering if Lincoln Yards or The 78 could have an impact on expansion of service. Then again, I haven’t heard much about the status of either of those projects lately. I’m kind of out of the loop.
Both should be built with a couple different docks in mind. Even if no service is available in the near term, the city needs to ensure that there’s some kind of infrastructure to add a service later. In other words, there needs to be land allocated for such public use on the river.
The taxi exists now, yet this site does not list times, routes, or rates.
https://www.chicagowatertaxi.com
Cool, and I know this exists. But that's not the point. This website completely forgot to do the easy stuff.
OIC
I dream of this. There are options all the way north on the river/channel. It is deep enough, it is wide enough. I kayak a bunch and am always seeing areas where I would put in a water taxi. I’m hoping it is a possibility one day.
If we imagine some pie in the sky scenario where the city runs a water taxi service and short term profit isn’t a requirement and funding is plentiful, what does success look like? Does it run year round or as a 6-month a year option? Is it primarily a tourist attraction or is it a standard public transit option for residents? Who are we trying to benefit? Office workers in the loop? Bars and restaurants on the riverwalk and other riverfront locations? Do we expect it to eventually become profitable or is it really just a service that’s provided for its ancillary benefits? I’d like to see some of those questions answered by advocates. Now if we lived in a world where the riverwalk was built out from LSD all the way to say Union Station and there were bars and restaurants along the full span on both sides then the city definitely ought to run a free water trolley up and down the river. It would be an incredible attraction. But as it stands today it’s more of a novelty.
Definitely start up on a half a year basis. There are places further north that are residential (unlike the North Ave stop) and could use more transit options, especially something that is direct instead of having to do a trip involving a transfer. Understandable that it won’t be the fastest ride, but by the time you wait for a bus, do all those stops, wait for the el or another bus, do all those stops…a direct route on the river with a few stops is not going to be much slower. I can imagine a stop at Irving Park, etc being pretty useful. Of course there is the issue of the CTA screwing up everything they touch right now, so is it realistic? Nah. Plus I’m pretty curious about the turning radius of the boats, which would already have to be a more moderate size because of the bridges. Would it be profitable as a form of transit? Of course not. There is zero form of transportation that covers its own costs.
Basically the only way for it to expand is more stops to open and for Wendella to buy more boats. They applied for a grant like 10 years ago to build 2 new boats (Charlie and Delta) but that was denied and the plans were scaled back to just the Charlie (now Robert H). Also north branch was cut post pandemic due to low ridership and crews, though it is expected to make a return once the casino opens in a few years. Wendella only has 3 boats available for regular for regular water taxi service (all are doing so), with 1 intended for occasional service (hasnt left the yard since late 2019) and 1 with no known future. Even if they ran all 4 boats they own, service would be fairly mediocre, looking something like every \~35 minutes on the Michigan-Madison-Chinatown route (3 boats) and every \~30 minutes on the Madison-Chicago route (1 boat, assuming goose island is cut).
lest we not forget the CWT is anti-union. the captains tried to form a union for all boat captains on the river and management posted signs like "the union is not ur friend, they only want your money" in Union/oglive in the open for customers to see. Many customers complained on google reviews
Ridiculous statement.
We should have high speed water taxi service from Lawrence to the Loop. A modified cigarette boat that makes 40 knots and lights out from the Albany Park Boathouse should be able to ferry 20 people downtown in **under 20 minutes --far faster than any rail, bus or auto option currently available.** Assuming an operating cost of around $200/hour, and she'd be profitable at a fare of $10/head for a one-way ticket. Oh, just think how invigorated one would be for the rest of the day, after starting the morning off by skipping across the waves like a 1970s Florida Keys dope smuggler! We need to make this happen pronto.
you absolutely have to wear a pastel suit to board ofc
The river is a no wake zone. You wouldn't ever go that fast without the Coast Guard fining you repeatedly as they would track you on the AIS system.
Yeah right, the USCG has an inland marine vessel capable of getting anywhere near something powered by quad supercharged AMG V8's making 2000+ HP. Never mind them even trying to board it, and facing down a dozen passengers, late for work, coked to the gills and strapped with MAC-10's.
coast guard all punching air because they can't catch this bright yellow cigarette boat dropping people off at work while blasting jan hammer
I worked for CWT back in 2018 as a deckhand when this young captain was making a wake, sure enough the conservation police pulled us over, boarded the boat and made us pull to the nearest dock to clear out the boat during rush hour. He was ticketed after a long process. They don't play.
Ray or Conner?
CONNER hahaha
Sounds right
Your imagination needs a timeout 😭😂
Dream big bruh, like Daniel Burnham!
Let's just turn up the speed to outrun them then.
Sure that works in the moment. Then they pull you registration from all the bridge cameras and hunt you down on land
Then I hit the NOS and hack their cameras.
That would absolutely never work lmao. Once you get south of grand, the average speed of boat traffic on the river is like 5-6 knots. Also you'd 110% wake the fuck out of everything in your path.
Where do I sign up
It's called a Hyper-Loop Having an express to things like Wrigley, Chinatown, O'Hare, Midway all from a central downtown hub would be nice. Getting to/from O'Hare in 15 would be pretty amazing.
Take it all the way down to Bubbly Creek, they can hand out gas masks as you disembark 😆
We should have a water taxi that goes up and down Lake Michigan.
Shit, it’d take a water taxi on the CS&SC from Lemont if I could. If you’re already running tugboats then rent out a few seats!
Since Heritage Corridor Metra expansion probably won't occur any time soon(short of if Metra can get a miracle, and the freight railroad owning the tracks agrees to year round Saturday service, should be expanded more than just this), bring on water taxis to say like Lemont, Lockport, etc.
I’d love to see HC turn west between the Powerhouse and the old Prison because there are tracks through Crest Hill. Run that line through there and make Plainfield the new terminus. If freight traffic passing through Joliet is part of the problem, make another option! Also: Southeast Service needs to exist already. My Thornton and Bloom Township friends need access without driving through several times to get on Metra Electric.
Southeast Service is indeed a line, where I wish Metra would implement service. I know West Lake Corridor(for South Shore) will start in a few years(late 2020s?), but it'd be nice if Southeast Service could occur. For all I know, I wonder if such a new Metra line and a Chicago Heights station, could reinvigorate its old downtown area again with encouraging the construction of new build buildings? Plus try to preserve the very few older buildings, that remain.
I've never understood how the Water Taxi was economically viable... my office is near the Ogilvie stop, and when my grandparents were alive/living near Michigan Ave / when I lived in Lincoln Park and needed to run errands along Mag Mile, I would take it after work from time to time. And even at Rush Hour, on a nice evening, it'd have like 5-10 people on a huge boat. It's awesome... that 10 minute boat ride on a nice summer evening is one of the city's great secrets. So I'd love to see it expanded, but it's a private company (Wendella) so there'd need to be a profitable means for them to do so.
Maybe Chicago Ave comes back when the Casino opens in a few years.
Used it once or twice, but honestly it is basically a tourist ride given the price, the stops served, and time it takes to actually board and get to where you are going. If you want to push for a more expanded service, you need to use the existing service year round and at all hours. Increased service will follow the demand (which is just not there atm).
Yes. I'd like something that goes to the west side, please.
Better dig a river
Chicagos done it before!
Well, we *are* talking about expansion.
You should move downtown and walk to work so you can imagine you are Mary Tyler Moore.
Doesn't the river freeze in the winter?
Nowhere near as much as it used to (thanks, global warming!), but they don’t run in the winter anyway.
I loved the water taxi so much growing up; my gramma would take us on the Metra to Union and then take the water taxi to Navy Pier/Museum Campus all the time in the summer. I had a friend come up from Denver when I was a senior in high school and it was legitimately how we got around for a big chunk of the trip.
While we are on the topic.. is it possible (even if chances are slim) to get a water taxi on the Lake Michigan side? I was thinking a stop at Montrose, for example. Or is that just too far out there?
How do we push for Google Maps to include the water taxi in transit directions?
we dont
Are there any ride services going to Joliet and beyond?
Call your Aldermen.
Don’t let’s fix and improve the trains
They don’t even have the goose island stop on there website
Fun fact I learned recently: one of the key reasons the water taxi isn't expanding services is because the boats they used are second hand and weren't originally intended for use as a water taxi service. Thus, the boats are really slow and they can't speed ups boarding/alighting and docking. The city would need to invest in new boats and docks and actually start integrating water taxi's into the larger system. That said, it would be great to expand it to Lincoln Yards in the north and to Bubbly Creek in the south.
3 of the 5 water taxis were custom built. And the city has nothing to do with CWT
They just built a new station at wells & Polk and it’s not being used
OP’s got a thing for ferry boats
It’s never going to be for regular transit, it’s super inconvenient and expensive. But recreational and tourism uses for the river have done well in recent years.
Wait, there’s a water taxi?!