A.G. Gancarski
One of the pressing policy issues a year ago in Jacksonville was the future of St. Johns River water taxis. Their continued existence, once in doubt, is assured for at least another year with city matching funds.
“In response to a city RFP,” writes Heather Surface of OnBoard Jax in a letter to the Jacksonville mayor, “our company began operating the River Taxi service in August 2014 … we signed a long-term operating and marketing services agreement with the City that went into effect July 1, 2015.”
Last year, ridership revenue provided only half the money necessary to keep the taxi service afloat. The company pledged to raise private funds. And in her letter, Surface says that happened, with sufficient “private contributions needed for Year 1 [raised] to qualify for the full city match.”
Surface named private sponsors including the Jacksonville Jaguars, the St. Johns Riverkeeper, the Florida Times-Union, Vesta, Visit Jacksonville, and the Omni hotel.
As was discussed with Council in 2015, Surface hopes to expand service on the North Bank, where the stop currently is the Jacksonville Landing, with stops at EverBank Field offered on an as-needed basis. Additionally, the hope is to expand service to Brooklyn, Riverside, and San Marco.
More short-term plans include forays to the zoo and the Riverside Arts Market, Surface added.
While there certainly will be discussion going forward about whether river taxis are must haves, Surface and OnBoard Jax have followed through on stated plans.
The company has also invested more than $500,000 in four boats, ranging in size from 50 to 100 passengers.
