Chicago Water Taxi
The Chicago River pokes out of Lake Michigan at about the halfway point of the city's north-south distance. It runs almost a mile due west from the lake, then splits into north and south branches that run much of the city's length. Since 1962, the Wendella tour boat company has taken advantage of the river's geographical reach to operate the Chicago Water Taxi. For $4, you can hop on the taxi here and take a 22-minute ride along the river to downtown.
I know a lot of sustainable transportation advocate types who suggest the water taxi could play a significant role in moving people around the city. I'm more skeptical. This has for most of its history largely been a tourist thing. There are only a limited number of stops that aren't necessarily close to places where people live, and it's a small river that can only accommodate so many boats. I have trouble seeing any way to scale this thing up.
Chicago Water Taxi
The Chicago River pokes out of Lake Michigan at about the halfway point of the city's north-south distance. It runs almost a mile due west from the lake, then splits into north and south branches that run much of the city's length. Since 1962, the Wendella tour boat company has taken advantage of the river's geographical reach to operate the Chicago Water Taxi. For $4, you can hop on the taxi here and take a 22-minute ride along the river to downtown.
I know a lot of sustainable transportation advocate types who suggest the water taxi could play a significant role in moving people around the city. I'm more skeptical. This has for most of its history largely been a tourist thing. There are only a limited number of stops that aren't necessarily close to places where people live, and it's a small river that can only accommodate so many boats. I have trouble seeing any way to scale this thing up.