The taxpayers have spoken and they want downtown water taxis in Jacksonville.

It only makes sense that a city on the water would vie for a public means of transportation by boat. While the Jacksonville water taxis offer residents and tourists a unique take on the city, it has not been enough revenue in recent years to keep the company afloat.

In order to keep from going under water, Lakeshore Marine Services, the company that runs the taxis, has announced that it is looking for multiple public partnerships that will allow it to keep operating in the city of Jacksonville. So far, the Florida Times Union and the Jacksonville Jaguars have become “founding partners” and will donate money each year in order to help save the water taxis.

While this is a strong start towards keeping the tradition alive, much more funding is needed if Jacksonville plans on keeping the water taxis as a staple of the city. While taxpayers have made it known that they do not want the water taxis to go anywhere, their recent track record of actually utilizing the alternative means of transportation says otherwise.

Specifically, the company shared that the amount of riders aboard the taxi had significantly decreased since the start of the company on the water. In fact, the taxis had drawn half the amount of riders this year as it had years prior.

As a means of attracting more riders to the water taxis, the option of incorporating sunset cruises into the water taxi schedule has been pitched by the local community. While your local Jacksonville movers and the rest of the community certainly do not want to lose the water taxis, much more funding will be needed in order to keep them afloat.