Two water taxi services for Halifax area

WATCH: A new water taxi service launched this week between Halifax and Dartmouth, and soon a second service will launch from King’s Landing in Dartmouth. Global’s Ray Bradshaw reports.

DARTMOUTH – The Halifax Harbour is about to get even busier. Already this summer there’s a new water taxi service operating on the Northwest Arm and Halifax Harbour and in early July another between Halifax and Dartmouth will be launched.

Alex Kawchuk is the owner and operator of the first water taxi business in the Halifax area. A Dalhousie graduate, he decided to bring a west coast idea, to the east coast. “I spent some time in B.C. a few years ago and in Southwestern B.C. water taxis are quite common,” says Kawchuk. The owner/operator of Chebucto Water Taxis adds, “I also took some inspiration from cities in Europe, like Venice and Amsterdam.”

Kawchuk has a 16-foot inflatable zodiac which seats four customers. He’s hoping to get a canopy for the boat, but in the meantime, “It’s open to the elements, so beware of that,” notes Kawchuk.

Business has been slow this inaugural week and the weather hasn’t cooperated. “As the weather gets better, people find out about the service and word of mouth gets around, I’m hoping it will pick up,” says Kawchuk.

He used public docks along the Northwest Arm and also makes trips to McNabs Island and Dartmouth.

“The advantage of this boat is that it’s quite light,” says Kawchuk. “It’s good on gas and I can land on beaches. It’s a flat bottom boat, so it stays quite stable, even in the chop, as long as I’m not powering too high through the waves. You know, splashing is quite minimal. It’s a pretty comfortable, smooth ride.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The advantage of this boat is that it's quite light," says Kawchuk. "It's good on gas and I can land on beaches. It's a flat bottom boat, so it stays quite stable, even in the chop, as long as I'm not powering too high through the waves. You know, splashing is quite minimal. It's a pretty comfortable, smooth ride."

The owners of King’s Wharf condominiums will also have a water taxi service starting next week between Halifax and Dartmouth.

“We thought the harbour is so underutilized and we’d like to invite everybody to enjoy it more, so that’s why we’ve invested in two water taxis that we’re launching next week,” says Francis Fares, the President and CEO of King’s Wharf.

“One will run on schedule between King’s Wharf and Halifax and one will be on call, so every 20 minutes there’s a service to Halifax and back.”

Their two boats will look similar to one docked at King’s Wharf. They will be covered, and large enough to accommodate 12 people. They will also provide service to McNabs Island.

“This is a pilot project between us and the Waterfront Development Corporation right now,” says Fares, “and we are working on it and want to see what’s the appetite. We are pet friendly and you can take your bike on our water taxi.”

If the demand is there, Fares says more boats will be provided.