J Magazine Winter 2019

spaces that are designated for the river taxis only. Passengers can
text a number and let the taxi operators know they are waiting. Allday
passes are available for $10. Four vessels are in operation, three
100-passenger boats and one 60-passenger boat. But the same bugaboo
remains. Few people are using the taxis as daily transportation.
Add in the Skyway crossing the river, and it’s free.
“What we were finding is we were just running the bases and
wasting fuel,” Surface said in an interview. Then there are the things
that belie the marketing pitch that it’s easier here.
The Landing, once an attraction for passengers, is now closed,
and the docks there have been torn down. Construction will soon
ONTACT US begin TODAY: at Friendship Fountain, another main pickup spot. “The regular
water taxi service has gone way down,” Surface said.
one: 1-904-271-2352
Then there’s the dock that cost the city $1 million to build for
x: 1-904-271-2352 the Riverside Arts Market. “The RAM dock is only available to us on
Saturday so if someone wants to go to the Cummer on Tuesday, we
can’t take you there,” Surface said.
Surface said she will work with the city to change some of the
requirements for regular stops. “For us to do regular service during
the week, there just isn’t much demand for that,” she said. “We’re
just not going to run the bases every 30 or 40 minutes.”
But that doesn’t mean the river taxis aren’t a success. Special
events like football games and concerts bring lots of passengers.
Then there are the tours that are popular.
See Downtown from the river at sunset.
Listen to live music on a Friday or Saturday evening cruise.
Enjoy a catered meal on the river. (Information is available at
jaxrivertaxi.com.)
On an October afternoon, Surface and I boarded one of the river
taxis for a narrated history tour of Downtown and the river. Also onboard
were about 35 senior citizens from Illinois who were taking a
bus tour of Florida. The origin of the name Cowford was explained
as was the 1901 fire, which brought interest, but what brought them
to their feet, cellphone cameras in hand along with “oohs and aahs”
were dolphins frolicking in the river. In the end, instead of transportation,
that may be the greatest asset of the river taxis.
“We truly believe that the river taxi is a valuable amenity,” said
Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision.
Michael Corrigan, CEO of Visit Jacksonville, shares that opinion.
“It’s something that more and more we are promoting,” he said. “It
really is the most efficient way to get the most people on the water.”
After all, the St. Johns River is the heart of Downtown, and the
river taxis are proving to be a way CONTACT to show off both. US TODAY: And it helps
when the dolphins cooperate.
Phone: 1-904-271-2352
Now return even further in time, long before there were bridges
over the river and highways running Fax: up 1-904-271-2352
and down the state. The
Timucuan Indians used the St. Johns for transportation. Later, ferries
and sailing ships carried people up and down the river.
There may yet be a bigger transportation role for river taxis in the
future. Gordon of Downtown CONTACT Vision US points TODAY: to the “billion dollars of
development” planned for Downtown and the people it will bring.
Phone: 1-904-271-2352
25 N Market Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
25 N Market Street
“Sure, looking into the future and the plans,” Surface said, “there
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Fax: 1-904-271-2352
will be a tremendous opportunity. We will serve an important role.”
And that role might not be limited to Downtown. How about
Mandarin, San Marco or Ortega?
“Personally, I think that’s feasible,” Surface said, though different
boats would be needed, something like a high-speed ferry.
“But we have the natural environment to do something like that.
It would be so cool.”
Ron Littlepage wrote for The Florida Times-Union for 39 years,
the last 28 as a columnist. He lives in Avondale.
25 N Market Street
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