Water taxi ferries commuters in Leeds

COMMUTERS in Leeds are enjoying a new way of getting to and from the city centre.

Leeds City Council leader Richard Brett joined passengers yesterday morning on the new water bus service which operates along the River Aire between Clarence Dock and the train station.

The boat takes 20 minutes to cover the route, with sailings from Clarence Dock at 8am and 9am – followed by an afternoon return service from the city centre at 5pm and 6pm.

A different timetable will operate at weekends.

The service is the brainchild of Sharon Pickard, a director of Leeds City Cruisers and owner of the waterbus called The Black Prince.

The vessel can transport up to 50 passengers and refreshments are served on board during the ‘voyage’.

In the long term, the hope is to increase the number of sailings each day so in time 100,000 passengers are being transported each year.

Ms Pickard is also keen to set up a ‘park and sail’ facility close to junction 44 of the M62 with boats bringing workers into the city centre in approximately 40 minutes.

Cllr Brett said: “This is possibly one of the greenest transport systems in Leeds. With 50 people on board, the boat creates less pollution than a bus carrying the same number of passengers. I found the cruise into work really calming and it gave me a completely different perspective of the city centre. There’s huge potential for Leeds to develop its waterfront and I hope this is the first of many innovative ways of doing that.”