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There soon will be a car-free alternative to get to and from Miami Beach as the city prepares to inaugurate the first free commuter-based water taxi service between its storied shores and Downtown Miami.
The Miami Beach City Commission unanimously passed a resolution on Dec. 17 authorizing the city manager to finalize a concession agreement with Water Taxi of Miami Beach LLC to provide a new complimentary commuter-focused water taxi service beginning in late January 2026.
“l’ve been actively working to bring a free water taxi system to Miami Beach — a game-changing initiative that can alleviate traffic congestion through cleaner more efficient transit,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “It’s an exciting time to move forward with mobility projects that truly improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors.”
Water taxis proved to be a hit among the tens of thousands of attendees who visited Art Week Miami Beach for the past two years. The free water taxi service operated between Maurice Gibb Memorial Park at 1790 Purdy Ave. in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach and Venetian Marina and Yacht Club at 1635 N. Bayshore Dr. on the Miami side of Biscayne Bay. Both locations also will serve as launch stations for the permanent service set to begin in January.
When the service begins, water taxis will run approximately every 60 minutes on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and every 30 minutes on weekdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Initially, the service will not operate on weekends. The 40-foot vessels can each hold a maximum of 55 passengers.
In addition to Miami-Dade County Transit buses, Miami Beach will continue to operate its free trolley system throughout the city as well as its free on-demand transit service in parts of Mid Beach and North Beach through a partnership with Freebee to provide seamless transit connections to the water taxi.
Officials anticipate a potential future north-south expansion of the water taxi service along the western portion of the city and service along Indian Creek waterway contingent on additional funding.
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