FlyteBoat review: Electric water taxi an efficient option for cross-harbour commuters
My decision to test Halifax’s new electric water taxi service was entirely self-serving.
I had two interviews at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. I had to be in the north end of Halifax at 5:45. I would ride my bicycle, but I can’t manage all the gear.
That’s when I remembered FlyteBoat and pitched my editor on using the taxi service to get my ass across the harbour at rush hour without having to wait for a ferry – exploiting storyteller’s privilege to solve my transit problems.
FlyteBoat’s owner and I arranged for his aquatic-electric chariot to pick me up between 4:30 and 4:45 at the public wharf in Dartmouth. This kind of on-demand, point-to-point service isn’t part of the company’s current business model (in other words, a literal taxi). Ben Taylor, my taxi driver (or is it sailor?), tells me it’s something they are working on as he helps me get my bike aboard.
“We only really started a few days ago,” says Taylor. “I think we’re looking at Kings Wharf, just the other side, and potential ferrying from Dartmouth over to Halifax.”
I’m the only person on the quiet electric boat for the crossing, and Taylor is an enthusiastic guide. He never stops smiling while I interrogate and photograph him. He tells me the water taxi is still finding its sea legs, but the most popular packages are the Georges Island and harbourside tours.
“We’re just seeing what works here and what’s popular,” Taylor says. They’re also getting a lot of questions about private charters, he says.
FlyteBoat’s webpage offers several tour options for $30 and $50. They haven’t finalized a price for ferrying commuters, but Taylor says he thinks it could cost around $10.
The vessel is comfortable, with soft seats and lots of space. The electric engine is quiet enough to talk throughout the ride.
“If the boat’s going to be moving for eight, nine hours a day, it’s a significant cost in gas and fuel,” Taylor says. “The electric was a really good answer to that.”
The taxi also proves to be a good answer for my time crunch. Despite running into some “rush hour” traffic on the harbour, particularly close to our drop off at Cable Wharf, the trip takes close to 15 minutes. I land in Halifax at around 5 p.m., giving me plenty of time to get to my appointment in the north end.
I don’t know if just anybody can get an on-demand trip from FlyteBoat or if you need to be a big-shot writer with The South Dartmouth Post, but when you’re chasing deadlines back and forth across the harbour, it’s the only way to travel. The next time I need a fast ferry to the darkside, I’ll be pitching another follow-up about FlyteBoat.
Editor’s Note: The editor reminds the writer that the Post only has an ass-moving budget sufficient for public transit, and that efforts to integrate FlyteBoat into all future stories, while enterprising, might strain the reader’s credulity.