Water taxis remain a distant option

If Newport Harbor is going to get a water taxi system, it’s not going to happen any time soon; at least not until the economy starts picking up, according to recommendations from the committee charged with looking into the matter.

In May, the Newport Beach City Council called for a Water Taxi Exploratory Committee to be created. Earlier this week the committee issued its most recent recommendations.

The committee recommended council members move forward as scheduled with a test run of a water taxi system next summer or summer 2011 at the latest.

The committee examined water taxi services in Marina del Rey and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., which have similar services and needs to Newport Harbor, according to the committee’s report. The system would be expected to reduce vehicle traffic and DUIs, among other issues.

During the study session Tuesday, council members learned about three options for a water taxi system.

There’s the “basic” service, which would put at least two taxis, each carrying between 18 and 28 passengers, in loops around six stops in the harbor. They would travel in opposite directions, and each trip would take about 20 minutes, according to the report.

There’s also the point-to-point route, where two to three docks on opposite sides of the harbor are connected by one or two vessels, each carrying between 30 and 90 passengers. The trips would take about 10 minutes each. Or the city could go with an “on call” service, where taxis would be dispatched as needed to different public or private docks through the harbor.

In all systems, taxi employees would be stationed at the docks to communicate when more taxis are needed or if a stop can be skipped.

For the time being, the report stated, there is little public funding to help Newport Beach’s cause. The city would first have to put a significant amount of money up front and have the system pay for itself over time through fare revenue and possibly advertising revenue on the taxis, among other sources.

The city would likely seek federal, state or local subsidies to run the system.