Commuters and tourists may soon be given another option for getting around the city of Toronto. President of The Otter Guy, Alex Nosal, hosted a public meeting on May 30th to discuss the proposal of running a water transit between Humber Bay and Young Street.
“An overwhelming amount of people showed up to the meeting and when I asked if anyone was opposed, not a single person in the room raised their hand,” said Nosal.
The boat will have an overall length of less than 50 feet and will most likely be able to hold between 100-200 passengers. This premium service has many benefits for those who commute downtown or tourists looking to explore the city. Riders can bring their bicycles on board, will have access to free Wi-Fi, and there will be no reason for any delays, as there is no traffic to compete with. Nosal explains, “That’s why people won’t be paying a TTC rate of $3 each. However, we’re going to try to get the price around the $10 range. I’m told it will be somewhere between $10-$15. It has a lot to do with the size of the boat.”
In terms of next steps for this proposal, Nosal and his team are looking to get a long-term lease on the dock in hopes that Parks and Recreation will give them permission to run the water transit system. With many stages for Transit Canada to approve, it’s tough to say when the service will be available. “We’re hoping that we can have the high-speed boat in place by next spring,” stated Nosal.
There are various benefits to the residents of Humber Bay Shores and the people that will be using the service. The boat offers another alternative for commuters to get downtown, at a quicker speed and with more comfort. Any tourists that use this service also have the added benefit of hopping onto any of their smaller water taxis, reaching to various destinations such as centre island.
Nosal explains, “We’re not asking the city for any money, we’re asking the city to sign a contract for us to give them money.”
