San Francisco Bay Water Taxi Service In The Works
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Imagine taking a cab from San Francisco to the North or East Bay without crossing any bridges. The owner of a new water taxi service actually floated that idea in the Bay Area.
KCBS' Melissa Culross Reports:
Jon Scannell, president and CEO of San Francisco Water Taxi, set his sights on launching the floating cab service by early 2011. He envisioned making his service available on demand from points along the San Francisco waterfront, Marin, Angel Island and the East Bay.
"If you miss the ferry, there aren't a lot of alternatives, leading me to think that a water taxi would be a great alternative to people who use the ferries," Scannell explained. "It would compliment those schedules."
Ferry transportation, he reasoned, wasn't convenient for everyone.
"If you have to stay late for work, you know, if your personal schedule doesn't match the ferry schedule you can call a water taxi and we can come and get you."
Still, Scannell hoped to create something that was about more than just commuter convenience.
"Mostly it's about cars off the road. You want to try to help reduce congestion by complimenting the already good, existing ferry service."
Scannell also hoped to appeal to business travelers and vacationers catching flights in and out of SFO.
"You'd be able to go from Marin to the airport. Instead of going over the bridge, through the city, down 101, you'd just take a water taxi directly down to the airport."
The Port of San Francisco was expected to vote Tuesday afternoon on a landing license application for San Francisco Water Taxi.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
