Cayman Ferries has suspended its commuter water taxi service from Newlands to Camana Bay temporarily.
However Claire Pettinati, co-owner of Cayman Ferries, said discussions are underway with government and Dart to assist with the relaunch of the commuter service.
The ferry service is still operating 5 days per week, bringing people from North Side and East End to Camana Bay and back again, through use of the private dock at Kaibo marina.
Pettinati, in an emailed response to Cayman Compass’ queries, said the Newlands service has temporarily stopped, following a trial commuter run in March and April 2022.
“The trial brought to light that most folks want a shuttle to get from Camana Bay, on to their final destination, and this is a subsidiary service we would like to see implemented in time for the relaunch. Dart have shown an interest in the relaunch, because the ferry primarily brings people to Camana Bay,” she said.
Government, she added, is also interested.
The launch of the service was highly anticipated since it offered an alternative solution to spending hours in traffic from the Eastern districts.
Trial run aimed to reduce traffic
Back in March the local ferry business added the Newlands route to its schedule as an alternative mode of transport to beat the gridlock on local roads.
Pettinati and her husband Daniel Petts, who live in North Side, used to get their own children to school by boat. They shared the belief that Cayman’s waterways are under utilised as a resource for transport.
The 15-minute boat ride took commuters from Newlands to Camana Bay, proving useful to those who worked or went to school in the vicinity.
Pettinati said the response was amazing at the launch as hundreds of people were excited about the service and said they would use it.
However, “during the two month trial period there would be anywhere between 2 to 8 people booked on each trip”.
She said there were almost always repeat passengers.
“Once people tried it, they loved it and kept coming back. The boat takes 35 people, so to get more cars off the road we need more people to leave their cars and to try the ferry. Once they tried it they all said the ferry is faster, and better for the island and a way more relaxing way to get to work,” she added.
Additionally, she said, plenty of local businesses said they would also like to get involved with sponsorship.
She said, while Cayman Ferries is grateful for the demand that tourism brings, its main mission is to help Cayman get cars off the road.
“The greatest impact will be to relaunch the commuter route from Newlands and get up to 70 cars off the road every day. The ferry is a safe and comfortable water taxi that offers a faster solution than buses,” she said, alluding to plans by the Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan to introduce a public bus service.
Pettinati said more investment is needed in educating commuters of the benefits of water transport.
“[I] would like to get the private and public sector more involved through sponsorship and collaboration opportunities to help solve Cayman’s gridlock traffic problem. Cayman Ferries is a not-for-profit sustainable mode of water transport that saves time, money and the environment,” she said.
Together, riders and sponsors, she contended, can contribute to a better future and make “Cayman more like the world we should be living in”.
Cayman Ferries normal operations continue with service from North Side and East End to Camana Bay and back again, through use of the private dock at Kaibo marina.
The passengers are a mix of tourists and residents of the eastern districts, she added, saying booking and payment is effortless through their company app, which has over one thousand subscribers, and growing.
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