Toronto’s East-West Water Shuttle Pilot program will be open to the public starting this Friday, just in time for FIFA World Cup 2026 to kick off next week.
Arriving on one of the shuttle vessels, City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto and Toronto Port Authority officials announced the launch at a media preview event on Thursday at the shuttle’s Ookwemin Minising stop at Biidaasige Park.
The pilot is a collaborative effort between all three agencies and will be operated by York Bay Marine Services.
The CEO of Waterfront Toronto told reporters that work on the pilot project has been ongoing for several years, which included a feasibility study, and Friday’s launch is the culmination of all that work.
“This water shuttle … connects destinations and it reconnects us to the lake itself. It’s another step in our evolution from being a city by the water to truly becoming a city on the water,” said George Zegarac.
“It’s about experiencing the city differently and discovering the waterfront in a different way.
Along with the Ookwemin Minising, the shuttle will serve two other stops – a central one at the Yonge slip and one on the west end of the waterfront at the Portland slip, just east of Bathurst Street.
The ride from end-to-end will take around 30 minutes and cost a flat fee of $15, not inclusive of taxes. It will run seven days a week, every hour, starting at 11:00 a.m. on the west end and 11:30 a.m. on the east end. There is also the option to increase service if there is greater demand.
Chris Glaisek, Chief Planning and Design Officer for Waterfront Toronto said the pilot is a result of “extensive research and planning,” but it’s a stepping stone to more ambitious plans.
“It is a first step towards what we hope will eventually grow into a more robust sea bus system that connects into the greater transit system in the city,” he said.
Mayor Olivia Chow said the pilot will be no cost to the City and is part of the larger strategy to make the waterfront more accessible, along with the Waterfront East LRT.
“Toronto‘s waterfront has always been one of our greatest assets and today we make it a little bit easier to enjoy,” she said.
Along with the launch of a new service, the pilot project will provide learnings and insights that will inform “the future of waterfront mobility,” said RJ Steenstra, the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority.
“The most successful harbours around the world are those that balance economics, recreational, environmental and cultural uses, transforming former industrial spaces into thriving, inclusive destinations – and that is exactly the future we are working towards here in Toronto,” he said.
The shuttle will run from June to September and will initially operate for a three-year term.
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