Water taxis set for Monday launch

Bookings are now being taken for Manchester’s much anticipated water taxis, which are to start operating on the Bridgewater Canal from next week.

Services will run between Castlefield, Old Trafford, the Trafford Centre and Sale, with direct services between each of these, with the exception of the journey between Sale and the Trafford Centre. Each journey time is between 30 and 45 minutes and services are scheduled through the day between 8am and 6pm.

Weekly and monthly passes are available on commuter services running between Sale and Manchester, costing £35 and £95 respectively. The service includes complimentary coffee, WiFi and USB charging points. There is also an annual pass offering unlimited travel, priced at £1,135.

The business is also marketing special offers, including services from Sale to midweek Manchester United matches and VIP shopping trips to the Trafford Centre.

Manchester Water Taxis, headed by Steven Cadwell, was awarded a licence to operate two boats by the Bridgewater Canal Company, part of Peel Land & Property, in June this year.

Cadwell, who is backed by private investors and supported by NatWest’s Entrepreneurial Spark business accelerator programme, told Place North West: “Hopefully once people see the boats on the water it will catch the imagination. We’re talking about heritage tours and other possibilities. Ultimately, once the Ordsall Chord piling work is completed we’d like to look again at our original plan of services between the city centre and Salford Quays – people could potentially travel into Victoria from Yorkshire and then go straight through to MediaCityUK by water.”