The Clearwater Ferry has enjoyed such strong ridership numbers transporting people from downtown to the beach that the business plans to expand their service to Dunedin in the next few months, according to marketing manager Camille Hebting.

  • Clearwater ferry expanding service to Dunedin
  • Water taxi started service in 2015 between Clearwater and Clearwater Beach
  • Officials hope to have service running by summer
  • Clearwater Ferry

“We’ve been talking with the City of Dunedin for a very long time,” Hebting said. “Our ridership has been asking us to do go to Dunedin from the very beginning.”

The water taxi first began offering service to Clearwater Beach on March 15, 2015. Hebting said that year 29,890 riders used the Clearwater Ferry. Last year, those numbers more than doubled to 70,259.

“It’s been a fantastic ride so far. No pun intended,” said Hebting. “We’ve had great growth with adding vessels to our fleet and adding staff to our family.”

It costs $4 each way to ride the Clearwater Ferry, seniors and children get a discount. Hebting said they hope to have a direct link from Dunedin to Clearwater Beach operating before the summer.

“It’s going to be a Friday through Sunday service, from 11am to 9pm,” she said. “We’re hoping to start that in May.”

Hebting said it’ll take about 35 minutes to ride from Dunedin to Clearwater Beach. The ride from downtown to the beach takes about 10 minutes. During spring break it can take more than an hour to drive that same stretch over the bridge.

“We tell people, guess what? There’s no traffic on the water. Come see it for yourself,” said Hebting. “The number one thing that people like about us is that we’re reliable and we offer a comfortable ride for a low price.”

Passengers on board the Clearwater Ferry on Wednesday said they enjoyed the breezy, fun ride.

“It’s a wonderful experience,” said Gary Adams, visiting from Indiana. “You get to enjoy this beautiful water scenery.”

For more information visit: clearwaterferry.com