Captain Ashley Simmons Launches Water Taxi
[Updated] Captain Ashley Simmons has launched the Bermuda Water Taxi service, which specializes in shuttling passengers from the Royal Naval Dockyard to Hamilton [or anywhere in the Great Sound – west] and the town of St. George.
Captain Simmons said, “After witnessing ferries and buses transporting visitors around Bermuda, the idea came to me about offering an alternative mode of transportation with a difference.
“With a Water Taxi, tourists and locals can call for the taxi when needed or can make reservations for a pickup. The Water Taxi is for anyone who would like a relaxing ride to their destination, while learning about the history of our beautiful Island,” said Captain Simmons.
Terry Roberson, General Manager of Bermuda CableVision, which is The Bermuda Water Taxi’s Lead sponsor states, “Bermuda CableVision is excited to support the launch of Bermuda Water Taxi.
“Like the new service, which offers residents and tourist a fun and convenient way to get around the island, Bermuda CableVision’s subscribers stretch the entire length of the island and we hope they find Bermuda Water Taxi a useful addition. I congratulate Captain Ashley Simmons for his entrepreneurialism and wish him every success with this new venture.”
The Water Taxi operates between the hours of 8am to 7pm daily with run times of 15 and 25 minutes for a cost of $10 to $20 depending on your destination. The Water Taxi offers Bermudians another choice in travel on a daily basis and can be booked out for corporate event runs and private party runs, should attendees need transportation to either end of the island.
The Water Taxi can be contacted via 535 5555 or info@bermudawatertaxi.bm.
Update 4.41pm: We spoke with Captain Simmons, who said the service is presently available – in fact he is waiting for a fare in Dockyard right now.
He has one taxi, with 12 seats, and the charge is $10 per person from Dockyard to Hamilton [or anywhere in the Great Sound], and $20 per person for Hamilton/St George’s or Dockyard/St George’s.
The Water Taxi is also available for custom runs, such as visiting friends who may live on smaller islands, going out to Paradise Lakes, or special nights out. Clients can book the taxi to travel to dinner somewhere on the island – Hamilton, St George’s or Dockyard – and get the taxi back late at night enabling them to have a few ‘drinks’ with their dinner.
Captain Simmons said he got the idea while working in another field in Dockyard, and watching the tourists pile on the ferries. He bought the boat three years ago, and has been working on the boat since that time. He said he started the business to try and see what he can do to assist with transportation for both tourists and locals.
now theres a great idea! good job sir!
Best of luck…but foul weather is going to be your nemesis.
I don’t see any wiper blades for rainy days!!!!!!!
Best of luck. i hope you show the Gov’t. how it is done.
good job and idea… how many people can fit and how many will be in the water?
Some more info added above…12 can fit, and one taxi as of now
Four strokes would have saved a lot on gas!
brilliant. i’ll be calling him. please post the number!!!!
Number posted…
Awesome job! looking forward to using your services.
yes congrats to you for asssiting our tourist
Great idea .best of luck to you.More sunny days than rainy days in beautiful Bermuda. Ignore the nay sayers.
Taxi 60bucks to Hamilton.JFK toManhattan less. Stop robbing visitors.
Funny you should compare NYC fares to Bda fares. 20 minute ride from airport to my home in Bermuda $22. 20 minute ride from JFK to Manhattan hotel was $55. Miami, Atlanta and Dallas which I also travel to frequently are not much better for a 20 minute ride. They pay less for licensing, fuel etc. Who is ripping off who?
Great idea! How many does he have?
This sounds fantastic – hopefully he’ll get so busy he’ll have to buy more! I’d much rather spend $40 for a family of four to travel on his taxi that $60 for a taxi ride, or even $20 for the fast ferry!
Great initiative but I don’t think it will last very long knowing the expenses that come along with boats. Hopefully he proves me wrong, I’m certainly rooting for him and will happily eat my own words if this does succeed! At the very least somebody is injecting this island with fresh ideas!
GREAT IDEA!!!!!
Great Idea,and finally someone getting on with it and not blaming Govt!! Congrads and much success!!
Congratulations Captain….a long awaited initiative come to fruition.
Hope you are really successful.
Boy, this ought to piss off the BIU! Congrats sir. Instead of sitting around for something to happen you made something happen. Best of luck and good fortune for you and your family.
Piss off the biu lol. Chris can’t call a strike on this lol
GOOD STUFF!!!!
how much was the license for this operation? GPS required?
Wish you were workin later bra, then I could go Snorkel and catch u back town!
What a GREAT idea! Nice to see this here, Boston (Logan Hotels) have water taxi’s and it is a nice change of scenery and change of pace to go by water. Awesome, best of luck.
And we have been waiting over 20 years for a promised dock at our airport so that guests can go from plane to boat avoiding the mayhem on the roads to get to hotels with docks.
Still waiting.
Yeah, Good luck. He is going to need plenty of that.
How can he compete against heavily subsidized Government ferrys? Those 200hp motors are capable of burning over 15 gallons per hour EACH! That is near $300 per hour going at a good clip!!!
The gas is only a small part of the business costs. There is the boat cost, the insurance, the dock use fee, boat maintenance & yes, the skipper deserves a wage at least as much as a Government ferry skipper who does nothing but drive the boat.
Nope, not going to last. That’s OK. Let’s see how many, who have no clue of boat operation costs actually support him! Talk is cheap on a blog.
15gallons/hour each is being tame mate!
The idea is very creative and with all the visitors that we are expecting this season,I say it is right on time and you should not be so negative towards something that is very possitive.
bermuda ferrys offer a service but not a personal tour guide enroute,one of the main reasons why Bermudian business dont succeed is because we are so ready to pull down our own before we give them a fair chance.
This could work out to be profitable to the point more can be added and jobs be establish putting Bermudians back to work.so to Mr Simmons I say well done and just let the nay sayers be who they are because if they had any great ideas they would be doing it. so it shows how intellegent they are.
I would like to also say that when Bernews.com first began they had many critics and nay sayers that said it wont last and those behind it was waisting their time trying to compete with the royal gazzette and Bermuda sun,but look at Bernews now.
They are the first that we look for in the morning and all through out the day and the last that we go to at night,all because they offer an up to date to the minute reporting and accurate reporting.
I dont see them going no where anytime soon and were else can you express yourself all day ,everyday with current affairs.so hats off to Bernews that even make our day by reading opinions from all sectors of the country and is not bias to none but will correct you if you try and give false information,now that is integrety and a darn good business venture that works.
Is Bernews financially viable? Seen any advertising to pay the people who make Bernews happen on here?
Nothing is free.
TD I usually ignore yur sarcasm but yur pissin into the wind M8…. Entrepreneurship and small upstarts is what will make this island tick again, not only the big old money boys (you obviously run with that crew)have business sense, Just ask Glen Smith (you do know Glen’s background don’t you)?
Congratulations! Great idea ! All the success in the world!
Best of luck to Ashley Simmons. You deserve a break on your fuel if you’re not already getting it. Others get it.
Yes!!! now I can hail a taxi up to non-mariners..
Well done Mr Simmons. In Fort Lauderdale water taxis is an awesome way to get around plus they talk to you about the area as you pass by, I see the same personal touch he’s doing that a tourist would really appreciate.
Interesting…. Bernews it would have been good to find out how much was paid for him to have a permit for such a license. While running a taxi on the road cost 95,000.00 for the permit then you have to buy the car. Whats the cost for his permit? Does he get subsidized? If he’s running a taxi does he set his own prices or is he regulated? Yet true taxi drivers can’t make any headway whatsoever. Another nail in the taxi drivers coffin. All were asking for is equal treatment and consideration.. Nothing else.
No nails in any taxi drivers coffin. No permit cost either other than tourboat license fee based on passenger capacity. He has an old, but refurbished boat that has more money put into it than the cost of any new taxi.
No comparison to taxis
In the past 20 years at least 6 single operator tourboat /transport business have come & gone. Most met their demise during the disastrous PLP years.
Tourism is not there anymore. Cusomers drive business not emotion. Cruise ship passengers do what the cruise director tell them to do. He promotes what the ship gets 30+% Commission for. No small operator can afford that
Only fishermen get a fuel break. Mr Simmons will pay taxes on everything. Some of that tax money will get used to subsidize the ferrys that he is competing against.
Nothing against Mr Simmons. Don’t know him. No emotion. Just plain unpleasant facts.
He is eligible for a duty relief on fuel as long as he carries a commercial license which he is required for fare paying passengers. Unfortunately even with the fuel rebate, those two stroke yamahas are going to clean him out.. Add on that the insurance, wear and tare, breakdowns and a crew member, can’t see how he’s gonna make it.. Good luck though. Maybe his next boat should be an old navy boat with a single diesel, then he may make a dollar.
Yeah, & with the efficient diesel he sacrifices speed.
No win.
Not true at all. Inboard diesels have been raced for years in bat boats state side.
Great Great Great! Love it. Now when your business grows in leaps and bounds, I hope i can get my trusty scooter on your next boat purchase. I’d gladly prefer to hire you to Dockyard than ride on most days. Sure am rooting for you.
If we get really lucky, this won’t turn into a tourist only taxi. Been down that street already with too many of these taxi drivers.
@TD would be good to know how much he paid for the taxi permit.
No permit cost. Just like first taxi permits. No protection from competition either. Anyone with a licensed tourboat & skipper can jump into the business.
To my long time friend from yester year, all the best to you mate I shall call you soonest and give you congrats .People should know that is a taxi that can go a bit faster then 35k. I love it .Taxi
Not unless you want to pay a small fortune.
And it is lightly loaded
Your concept is good but, I don’t believe the “Taxi” has enough free-board There not much protection from spray nor the foul weather you’ll, (without a doubt) encounter from time to time, when heading up-wind. So maybe take those point into consideration when expanding your fleet…
i will most definitely be taking taxi rides just for the fun of it!! well done and i wish you much success
Ditto!
Congrats Uncle ASh bro