A water taxi or a water bus, also known as a sightseeing boat, is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar manner to a taxi. A boat service shuttling between two points would normally be described as a ferry rather than a water bus or taxi.
The term water taxi is usually confined to a boat operating on demand, and water bus to a boat operating on a schedule. In North American usage, the terms are roughly synonymous.
The earliest water taxi service was recorded as operating around the area that became Manchester, United Kingdom.
Cities and other places operating water buses and/or taxis include:
Alexandria, Virginia
Amsterdam
Astana
Auckland
Baltimore
Baltimore Water Taxi
Bangkok
Chao Phraya Express Boat
Khlong Saen Saep boat service
Bordeaux
Boats BatCub
Boston
Bratislava
Bratislava Propeler
Bremen
Brisbane
CityCat
CityFerry
Bristol
Bristol Ferry Boats
Brunei
Bucharest
Budapest
Buenos Aires, Tigre
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Cardiff
Cardiff Waterbus
Cap-Haïtien, Haiti (at Labadee beach)
Cape Town
Caye Caulker
Charleston
Charleston Water Taxi
Chicago
Copenhagen
Copenhagen Harbour Buses
Davao City
Davao water taxi service
Dhaka
Buriganga River water bus
Hatirjheel water taxi
Dubai
Abras
RTA water taxis (recently introduced)
Erie, Pennsylvania
Presque Isle Water Taxi
Fort Lauderdale
Galápagos Islands
Gothenburg
Älvsnabben ferry
Paddan
Guangzhou, China
Halifax Regional Municipality
Hamburg
Helsinki
Hong Kong: Cheung Chau, Chi Ma Wan, Peng Chau, Silvermine Bay
New World First Ferry
Istanbul
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville Water Taxi
Karachi
Kobe
Kochi
Kragerø and surrounding area, Norway
Kristiansund, Norway
Lake Ozark, Missouri
Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona
Lisbon
London
London River Services
Thames Clippers
Long Beach, California
Long Beach Transit
Malta
Dghajsa
Manila
Pasig River Ferry Service
Moscow (River tram)
Mumbai (Catamarans and ferries)
Nantes
Navibus
National Harbor, Maryland
New York City
Liberty Water Taxi
New York Water Taxi
New Zealand
Niigata
Oklahoma City
Orlando, Florida
Osaka
Osaka Suijō Bus
Oslo
Bygdøfergene
NBDS
Oslo-Fergene
Panama
Paris
Voguéo
Pittsburgh
Plymouth
Portland, Maine
Potsdam, Germany
Quad Cities, Illinois/Iowa
Rotterdam/Dordrecht
Sacramento
Saint Petersburg
Aquabus
Seattle
King County Water Taxi
Seoul
Sha Lo Wan, Tai O, Tuen Mun, Tung Chung (Urmston Road, Hong Kong)
Shizuoka
Singapore (Singapore River)
Spalding (River Welland)
Stockholm
Sydney
Tallinn
Tampa
The Woodlands, Texas
Tokyo
Tokyo Cruise Ship
Tokyo Mizube Line
Toronto
Toronto water taxis
Trinidad
Water Taxi Service, Port of Spain to San Fernando – service implemented in December 2008
Vancouver
The Aquabus
Coastal Link Ferries
English Bay Launch
False Creek Ferries
Granville Island Water Taxi Services (defunct)
SeaBus
Venice
Gondola
Vaporetto
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria Harbour
Walt Disney World
Wellington
Ferries in Wellington
Winnipeg
Xochimilco, Mexico City
Chalupa
Yokohama
Keihin Ferry Boat
The Port Service
On demand water taxis are also commonly found in marinas, harbours and cottage areas, providing access to boats and waterfront properties that are not directly accessible by land.
On March 6, 2004, a water taxi on the Seaport Taxi service operated by the Living Classrooms Foundation capsized during a storm on the Patapsco River, near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. A total of 5 passengers died in the accident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused by insufficient stability when the small pontoon-style vessel encountered strong winds and waves. The company no longer operates water taxi vessels in Baltimore harbor.