Water Taxi Idea Wins OK but Could be Sunk by Cars

A proposal to begin a San Diego Bay water taxi service capable of shuttling tourists and others among waterfront hotels and restaurants was approved in concept Tuesday by the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners.

Though some commissioners seemed almost euphoric about the idea, one major obstacle was unexpectedly raised that could scuttle the proposal.

The problem has nothing to do with boats. It has to do with cars, or more precisely where they are parked.

As proposed by Coronado boatyard owner John Sawicki, president of Marine Engineering and Services Inc., a fleet of eventually 10 boats, each seating about 40 to 50 passengers in an enclosed, air-conditioned craft known as a canal boat, would transport passengers around the bay, from Shelter and Harbor islands to Seaport Village and the Coronado Cays, with various stops in between.

Sawicki says he already has the endorsement of 19 restaurants and hotels such as the Kona Kai, Tarantino’s, the Sheraton, the Hotel Inter-Continental, Hotel Del Coronado and the Chart House near the convention center, which is now under construction. He wants to start by Jan. 1.

As envisioned by Sawicki, the service would be available daily from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. and would charge passengers roughly $3 to $5 depending on the length of the trip. The boats would available on an on-call basis.

The controversial part of the proposal, however, is Sawicki’s plan to operate the boats on a set departure schedule, such as once every hour from a specific location, rather than relying solely on the traditional on-call basis used by land-based taxi cabs.

“I can’t have 10 boats waiting around for the phone to ring . . . that’s not financially feasible,” Sawicki told the commissioners, adding that each boat would cost him $65,000.

But Port District Executive Director Don Nay said regular scheduled departures would transform the taxi service into a ferry service. The distinction, he said, is that regular schedules will place a demand for scarce parking along the waterfront.

Instead of tourists and conventioneers staying at bayfront hotels using the service, Nay said that regular departures would entice local residents “from North Park,” for example, to drive down to someplace like Seaport Village and park their cars there most of the day while they shuttled around the bay in the water taxi.

Nay said he never discussed the issue of scheduled departures with Sawicki, and that he wasn’t aware of that aspect of the proposal until Sawicki mentioned it to the Port Commissioners on Tuesday.

Richard Burt, an attorney representing Seaport Village, said the tourist-oriented complex supported the idea of a water taxi but said his client was also concerned about parking. He requested that a parking study be done before the commissioners granted final approval.

For the most part, port commissioners greeted the water taxi proposal enthusiastically, even though some had reservations about parking.

Typical comments were made by Ray Burk and Phil Creaser.

“I’m wildly in favor of the idea . . . it’s a tremendous asset for this port,” said Burk, the Coronado representative who is usually among the most taciturn on the board.

“This is a needed service as we look into the future,” responded Creaser, the commissioner representing Chula Vista.

The board liked the idea so much it unanimously approved the idea in concept, instructing the port staff to meet with Sawicki in an attempt to resolve the scheduled departure/parking issue.

After the meeting, though, Sawicki said that without the ability to have regularly scheduled departures, his proposal was doomed. “There’s just no way around it,” he said. “Kip Howard (president of the firm that owns the Hotel Inter-Continental) just told me it wouldn’t work at his hotel unless they can be sure when the taxis would leave.”

Sawicki’s proposal would not need the approval of the state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates ferries in the state, because the water taxi vessels would weigh less than five tons.

His company would also have to build a special float and gangway on the south side of the Fish Harbor Pier located adjacent to Seaport Village that would be used as a dock for the water taxi. Sawicki estimated the cost to prepare the pier at about $300,000. When stopping at hotels and restaurants, the water taxi would use docks and slips that most of these waterfront facilities already provide.