Miami Beach residents can now skip the causeway traffic and ride a free water taxi across Biscayne Bay to Downtown Miami, a city-operated service that has already drawn more than 82,000 riders in its first four months.

The commuter water taxi runs between Maurice Gibb Memorial Park at 18th Street and Purdy Avenue in Miami Beach and Venetian Marina in Miami. Each vessel carries up to 55 passengers, and bicycles are welcome aboard.

The City of Miami Beach posted on X on Tuesday, Aug. 25, describing the service as a scenic, sustainable alternative to driving across the bay.

The ride is free.

Mayor Steven Meiner has championed the service since his 2023 campaign, when he pledged to launch a free ferry and cited federal grant funding that could cover 80% of infrastructure costs. The City Commission approved a concession agreement with Water Taxi of Miami Beach, LLC on Dec. 17, 2025, and the boats began running in early 2026.

Ridership and expansion

By late May, Meiner reported on X that the service had hit 82,000 riders after hosting Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dan Cohen Higgins aboard the taxi to discuss regional transit connections.

"I brought the family out to catch a ride, and the line stretched down the dock," Meiner wrote on X in April, weeks after the launch. He said he was actively exploring expanding the free service.

The mayor also met with County Commissioner Rene Garcia at the Miami Beach water taxi stop in late March to discuss additional access points along Miami-Dade waterways.

What's next

The Commission discussed advancing a comprehensive citywide water taxi program on May 20, sponsored by Meiner along with commissioners Laura Dominguez and Tanya Bhatt. On June 24, Bhatt referred an item to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee to study the cost of providing water taxi and shuttle service during the annual Boat/Yacht Show.

The city's Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee took up last-mile connections for ferry riders at its July 15 meeting, including wayfinding signage, trolley coordination and Citi Bike station information near the dock.

During the FIFA World Cup Finals weekend on July 18–19, the city ran the water taxi on an expanded schedule from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every 30 minutes, with shuttle buses linking the Maurice Gibb Park landing to watch parties in North Beach and South Beach.

The Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee has not yet scheduled a date for the Boat/Yacht Show cost discussion.