New fare-free Miami Beach water taxi service to launch later this month
The city of Miami, in collaboration with Miami Beach, is launching a fare-free, commuter-based water taxi service between its shores and downtown Miami.
The Miami Beach City Commission passed a resolution authorizing the finalization of an agreement with Water Taxi of Miami Beach, LLC, to provide a new car-free alternative to get to and from Miami Beach beginning in late January 2026.
“I’ve been actively working to bring a free water taxi system to Miami Beach—a game-changing initiative that can alleviate traffic congestion through cleaner more efficient transit,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “It's an exciting time to move forward with mobility projects that truly improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors.”
The city learned the value of the service when the water taxis were a hit among the tens of thousands of attendees who visited Art Week Miami Beach for the past two years. The water taxi service operated between Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach and Venetian Marina and Yacht Club on the Miami side of Biscayne Bay. Both locations will also serve as launch stations for the permanent service.
When the service begins, service will run approximately every 60 minutes on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and every 30 minutes on weekdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The service will not operate on weekends at launch. The 40-foot vessels can each safely accommodate a maximum of 55 passengers.
In addition to Miami-Dade County Transit buses, Miami Beach will continue to operate its free trolley system throughout the city as well as its free on-demand transit service in parts of Mid Beach and North Beach through a partnership with Freebee to provide transit connections to the water taxi.
Officials noted a potential future north-south expansion of the water taxi service along the western portion of the city and service along Indian Creek waterway contingent on additional funding.