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The city of Miami Beach inaugurated a permanent and free water taxi service on Tuesday, which will connect the island to downtown Miami as part of a strategy to alleviate traffic congestion at major access points.
According to the official account of the City of Miami Beach, the service will operate from Monday to Friday with departures from the Maurice Gibb Memorial park, located at 1790 Purdy Avenue, and the Venetian Marina & Yacht Club, at 1635 North Bayshore Drive, Miami.
The water taxis will depart every 60 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and every 30 minutes between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The journey, which lasts about twenty minutes, will provide a panoramic view of Biscayne Bay and will allow bicycles and scooters on board, as long as there is available space.
Until now, this service was only offered during Miami Art Week in December to meet the high demand from visitors.
The City Council explained that the measure is being implemented after the “success” achieved over the past two years, when “tens of thousands of attendees” used the water taxis, reported EFE.
The mayor of Miami Beach, Steven Meiner, announced that the service could be extended to other areas in the future.
"While we started in Sunset Harbour, we are continuing to explore the possibility of expanding our water transportation service, including the connection between South Beach and North Beach," he noted.
With a capacity for 55 passengers and a length of 12 meters, the new water taxis aim to become an eco-friendly and functional option for residents and tourists, providing an alternative to the heavy traffic that defines access to Miami Beach during peak hours.
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