Miami Beach expands free water taxis for Art Week

Miami Beach is offering free water taxis for the second year during Miami Art Week and expanding the number of boats providing the service.

“This year’s installment of Art Week Miami Beach will once again include complimentary water taxis connecting Miami Beach with downtown Miami, along with a fleet of free, dedicated shuttle buses designed to transport visitors and residents to a variety of art fairs,” the city’s website reads.

This year, the city has significantly increased the service, deploying up to seven water taxi vessels, compared to the four that operated during last year’s Art Week.

As tens of thousands of out-of-towners are anticipated to visit for the art fairs, including the cornerstone Art Basel Miami Beach, the city of Miami Beach is hoping that the water taxis will help alleviate traffic on major highways in the region.

The free water taxis will begin Monday and operate every 10-15 minutes from 10 a.m. to midnight each day through December 6. The water taxis will also run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on December 7.

Riders can catch the taxis to cross the Biscayne Bay from Maurice Gibb Memorial Park on the Miami Beach side and the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club on the Miami mainland, according to the website.

Miami Beach first began piloting the service for residents in July 2024. When it announced the pilot to residents the previous month, some locals expressed skepticism of the service.

“Well, I got excited by the idea and then I looked up where the Venetian Marina is located,” one resident said in a Facebook comment. “What am I supposed to do when I get there? I assumed it would drop off in a more desirable area.”

At the time, WTVJ reported that the water taxi ride would take about 18 minutes and cost $5 for residents and $12 for non-residents with children under 12 riding for free.

However, the pilot program with Poseidon Ferry quickly ran into serious issues, including repeated mechanical failures, air conditioning breakdowns and low ridership. In September 2024, the Miami Beach City Commission voted to terminate the contract just two months after the pilot began.

Mayor Steven Meiner and his administration then pivoted to aggressively pursue state and federal grant funding in an attempt to build a free and publicly funded "trolley system on water" model as opposed to a paid luxury service.

While the water taxis as a permanent service for residents is still a work in progress, the success of offering them during Art Week last year and their return this year serves as a crucial blueprint for cities around the world that host major, high-impact cultural events across water barriers.

By shifting its approach, Miami Beach is testing the viability of investing in free, high-frequency aquatic transit as a temporary but essential piece of public infrastructure.