i Baltimore Water Transit Strategic Plan June 22, 2015 Acknowledgments This report is prepared for the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT) with assistance from Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP and funded through a grant provide by the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, the Maryland Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation. City of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor William M. Johnson, Director of Transportation Lindsay Wines, Deputy Director, Administration Veronica P. McBeth, Transit Bureau Chief Valorie LaCour, RLA, LEED AP, Division Chief, Transportation Planning Project Team BCDOT Linda Taylor-Newton, City Planner II Ciara M. Willis, Transit Services Administrator Frances Knauff - Dockmaster Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP Thomas J. Hannan, PE, Senior Vice President James M. Ritchey, Vice President Patrick R. Christian, Transit Technical Specialist Andrea Trabelsi, AICP, Transportation Planner Wendy Haubert, Geographic Information System Specialist Abbi Hoff, Graphics Artist Special thanks to eleven business and community leaders who participated in a Water Transit Workshop on February 24, 2015 including representatives from Greater Baltimore Committee, Waterfront Partnership, Under Armour, Legg Mason, Workshop Development, Watermark Cruises, Baltimore Development Corporation, Locust Point Civic Association, Baltimore Zipcar, and Cruise Maryland. Harbor Care, LLC the operator of the Water Taxi and Harbor Connector cooperated fully over the course of the study providing operating data and water transit expertise. i Baltimore Water Transit Strategic Plan June 22, 2015 ACKNOWLEEDGEMENT PAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVESUMMARY........................................................................................................................................................................................................1 1 BALTIMOREWATERTRANSITANDINNERHARBOROVERVIEW..................................................................................................................5 1.1 Baltimore Water Transit Program ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 Baltimore Harbor .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Water Taxi .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Harbor Connector ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Dockmaster ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 1.6 Inner Harbor Property Ownership ............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 1.7 Inner Harbor Wharfage Agreements .......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.8 BBMR Management Research Project - Dockmaster ................................................................................................................................................. 14 1.9 Inner Harbor 2.0 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 2 WATERTAXISERVICE.............................................................................................................................................................................................15 2.1 Water Taxi History ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Water Taxi Wharfage Agreement .............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 2.3 Water Taxi Operations ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 2.4 Water Taxi Service Design .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Water Taxi Ridership .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 2.6 Public Wharfs ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 2.7 Water Taxi Observations and Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 3 HARBORCONNECTORSERVICES..........................................................................................................................................................................19 3.1 Harbor Connector History .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Harbor Connector Service Design .............................................................................................................................................................................. 20 3.3 Harbor Connector Ridership and Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................. 22 3.4 Harbor Connector Financial ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 3.5 Comparison to other Ferry Operations ...................................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.6 Harbor Connector Observations and Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................... 27 4 DOCKMASTER............................................................................................................................................................................................................30 4.1 Dockmaster Duties ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30 4.2 Dockmaster Operations ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 ii Baltimore Water Transit Strategic Plan June 22, 2015 4.3 Dockmaster Financial and Performance .................................................................................................................................................................... 32 4.4 Dockmaster Observations and Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................... 33 5 BALTIMOREWATERTRANSITTRAVELMARKET............................................................................................................................................34 5.1 Work Trip Market Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 5.2 Visitor Travel .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 43 6 ASSESSMENTOFWATERTRANSITSERVICEEXPANSION..............................................................................................................................45 6.1 Visitor Market............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 45 6.1.1 Year Round Service .................................................................................................................................................................................................