We wanted to change things up a little bit with this article, so we will show you one unusual type of taxis – water taxis. Seattle, Washington is particularly known for its water taxis which is why we will discuss them in more detail today.
Find out how they work, how often people use them, and how to “hail” one next time you’re in the Emerald City.
What are Water Taxis
Naturally, the Seattle water taxis are not cars (though one company developed amphibious taxis that can travel on land and water). In Seattle’s case, the water taxis are ferries, but water taxis can also be other types of boats; in Venice, for example, they are gondolas. Ferries, however, provide more space for passengers, and Seattle water taxis are known to be fast.
What’s more, many water taxi companies in Seattle let you travel with your four-legged friend, provided that the animal is well-behaved and leashed or in a travelling bag/container.
History of Seattle Water Taxis
Seattle is a city surrounded by water which explains why many choose water transport to get around. Native Americans living in the area have travelled on canoes for centuries, and so did the first European settlers during the expansion to the west. Soon after, in the 1830’s, the first steamboat called Beaver started operating in the area.
Later on, in 1846, the first American town in the region, Olympia, was founded. This was followed by the founding of Seattle in 1851. Perhaps inspired by the Gold Rush in California (1848-1855), more and more people migrated to Washington in the hopes of finding gold. Washington has some gold reserves, but they are nowhere near as many or as rich as those found in California, Nevada, and Alaska.
Still, many Americans soon started moving to Washington and Seattle began developing as a city. In 1852, the new settlers found out that shore around Elliot Bay had deep enough water to accommodate a port; Puget Sound already had welcomed steamboats by then.
Following these events, a few private companies spurned up in Seattle which offered rides on steamboats and sternwheelers. This new fleet was known as the Mosquito Fleet and it mainly travelled on the waters of Puget Sound, with stops on every waterfront dock.
The Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, which started when gold was found in British Columbia, Canada, made these companies very profitable as migration to the region increased. Puget Sound became a shipping center for supplies and gold seekers to and from British Columbia.
Interestingly, the first licensed ferry to operate in Seattle, what we might refer to as the first water taxi in the city, was only launched on Christmas Eve in 1888. The ferry, called The City of Seattle, connected Seacrest Park in West Seattle (the oldest part of the city) to downtown Seattle, along with other places around the Puget Sound.
The City of Seattle made two trips every day, bringing people to work from one part of town to the other or holiday-makers to beaches along Puget Sound. Unfortunately, the service was discontinued after the building of the first South Park bridge over the Duwamish River in 1915.
Other ferry services, like those offered by the Mosquito Fleet, continued operating but the building of new bridges connecting West Seattle with Downtown Seattle, as well as the rising popularity of cars, made many of them obsolete. The Mosquito Fleet, in its original form, stopped operating in the 1930’s.
On the other hand, there were new auto-ferries that allowed passengers to bring their cars on board and those services were flourishing in mid-century Seattle.
The Return of Water Taxis
Although people could easily travel between West Seattle and Downtown Seattle with their cars, traffic was terrible and people wanted their water taxis back. As a result, the Elliot Bay Water Taxi began operations in 1997. Despite the relatively slow speed of the ferries, commuters preferred it over the congested car traffic. The only issue was that the service only operated between the months of April and October.
In 2007, a plan was announced to fund passenger-only ferries through property tax and a new district was formed, the King County Ferry District, to oversee and conduct operations. Later, in 2010, the services along the West Seattle route became year-round, proving commuters with reliable transport options. Additionally, travel time was significantly reduced by the introduction of catamarans.
Seattle Water Taxis Today
In this section, we will discuss the routes you can take with a Seattle water taxi and the schedule.
Routes
There are currently two water taxi routes in Seattle:
- West Seattle to Seattle – The water taxi docks at Seacrest Park in West Seattle (1660 Harbor Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98126) and at the Downtown Seattle Terminal in Seattle, Pier 50 (801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104).
- Vashon Island to Seattle – The water taxi docks at the Vashon Ferry Terminal (10800 North Vashon Highway, Vashon, WA 98070) and at the Downtown Seattle Terminal in Seattle, Pier 50 (801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104).
Schedule
The West Seattle-Seattle route operates daily, with the exclusion of some holidays, while the Vashon Island-Seattle route operates only during weekdays. For the full schedule of Water Taxis in Seattle, please refer to the King County page.