It’s been six years since there was a water taxi service on Presque Isle Bay.
“There were some challenges identifying a captain who had the required credentials to run it. We’ve retried it over the last several years,” said Anna Frantz, the deputy executive director of the Erie-Western PA Port Authority.
But in two weeks, the port authority’s Presque Isle Water Taxi will return.
“We are going to be having the water taxi up and running again Memorial Day weekend,” she said.
They’ve started a website and have started selling tickets.
Their two aquabuses, as they’re called, will start running May 23.
They’ll take people between Dobbins Landing and Presque Isle.
“The water taxi service provides a very quick and easy way for people to get right from downtown Erie…over to Presque Isle in just a few quick minutes,” she said.
A round trip will cost about $6 a person. The service will run Wednesdays through Sundays until September.
“That might change depending on demand through the summer,” she said. “It will probably be tweaked here and there.”
She said bringing the water taxi back is part of the port authority’s mission to get more people on the bayfront.
“We really are hoping that this is an amenity that’s valued by both Erie residents, the entire Erie community, as well as out-of-town visitors,” she said.
She hopes that riding the taxi is something that people enjoy.
“Have fun. Enjoy it. It’s going to be a great service and meet a need for all of us here,” she said.
You will be able to buy tickets at a kiosk set up by the Bicentennial Tower. But, Frantz recommends getting them online before your trip.