MD: Uber of the harbor? Baltimore Water Taxi to pilot on-demand service.

The Baltimore Water Taxi is preparing to pilot a new, on-demand service that allows riders to request trips in real time rather than plan around a fixed schedule.

Targeted for a full public launch in February, the service would operate alongside the water taxi’s existing fixed routes, not replace them. The pilot will run through the 2026 season, according to Michael McDaniel, president and CEO of the Baltimore Water Taxi.

McDaniel said the private company has explored an on-demand model for years but was limited by technology and the operational realities of running a transit service on the water.

“People are used to requesting a ride when they’re ready, not planning their day around a timetable,” McDaniel wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun. “The harbor is also a perfect place to test a request-and-go model because demand changes constantly based on the day of the week, the season, the weather, and whatever is going on in the city. Our fixed routes work and they’ll continue to matter, but they can only be so flexible.

“This pilot lets us test the technology, the operations, and the overall rider experience in a controlled way before we scale it.”

Under the pilot, riders would use the Transigo mobile app on Apple or Android devices to request a pickup within a defined service zone. Trips would be dynamically routed based on demand, rather than following a published loop at set times.

The Baltimore Water Taxi partnered with IT Curves, a transit technology company that also supports Annapolis’ Go! Time, an app-based on-demand system similar to Uber and Lyft, but for public transit.

“There’s a lot of so-called plug-and-play stuff that works fine on land, but almost none of it adapts cleanly to the realities of operating on the water,” McDaniel said. “When we approached IT Curves, they were willing to take a swing at it with us, and honestly, that was the missing piece we needed to finally launch this.”

During the pilot phase, pickups and drop-offs will be limited to existing water taxi stops around the Inner Harbor and surrounding waterfront areas. Officials said operating on the water presents constraints not found in road-based transit, including water depth, dock ownership, safety requirements and public access.

“This isn’t the same as a car pulling up to any curb,” McDaniel said.

The service is currently in what McDaniel described as a “technical launch” phase, with crews stress-testing the system and working through operational challenges before opening it fully to the public.

If the pilot proves successful, the company plans to transition the service into a permanent offering and expand it in phases. Initial steps would include longer service hours and increased capacity, likely requiring new boats designed specifically for on-demand operations — smaller, faster vessels built for frequent docking.

Similar water-based, app-driven services already operate elsewhere in Maryland. In Ocean City, the OC Bay Hopper provides on-demand and scheduled water taxi service connecting downtown, North Ocean City, West Ocean City and Ocean Pines, while also offering specialty cruises such as sunset tours and brewery trips. Private on-demand boat services, such as Liquid Tiki, also operate on the bay, though those are geared toward prebooked recreational outings rather than point-to-point transportation.

“ Waterfront Partnership is excited to see new ideas like this on-demand Water Taxi service that help connect people to, and around, Baltimore’s waterfront,” Dan Taylor, president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore nonprofit, said in a statement to The Sun on Friday. “We’re always supportive of efforts that make the harbor more accessible, innovative, and easy to explore.”

Future phases in Baltimore could add more pickup and drop-off locations where feasible and eventually support new routes in the outer harbor.

A final fare has not been set, but McDaniel said pricing will resemble ride-hailing services such as Uber or Lyft, with a base booking fee, a time-based rate and an added charge for each additional passenger, rather than a flat ticket price.

One example under consideration is a $5 booking fee, plus 50 cents per minute and $2.50 for each additional passenger, up to the vessel’s legal capacity. Under that model, a 14-minute trip from Locust Point to Harbor East would cost about $12.

During the current testing phase, rides cost $1 per passenger. Pricing will be adjusted during the pilot, using land-based services as a benchmark, officials said, while keeping fares competitive and easy to understand.

Unlike most ride-hail vehicles that carry a handful of passengers, the on-demand boats can typically accommodate up to 11 riders, allowing groups to split the cost.

McDaniel said success will be measured by rider usage, reliability and long-term operational viability.

“To be clear, we’re committed to this service,” he said. “The pilot is about doing it responsibly and getting it right.”

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