Screw a bridge or tunnel. Been calling for this for years. It's faster, closer and less traffic and trouble having to go all the out the way to POS to go Tobago by boat. IT would be even better to have a vehicle ferry, so you can drive to Toco then take an
ONLY 30 minuteS ferry to the beaches and business in Tobago .
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Water taxi to sail to Tobago
By KARL E CUPID Tobago Bureau Wednesday, December 22 2010
A water taxi service between Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Scarborough, Tobago is to be introduced in January.
A dedicated water craft with a capacity for 150 passengers will be operated under the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO), chairman Dr Carson Charles said yesterday at the Scarborough port during an inspection of facilities for the service. The touring party included Tobago East MP/Tobago Development Minister Vernella Alleyne-Toppin and Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner.
Charles said a test run was recently conducted with favourable results and it was proposed the service should come on stream next month. He explained a water taxi would be outfitted to handle the turbulent seas between Trinidad and Tobago. Berthing facilities will be located at the western end of the Scarborough port. With respect to cost, Warner, during an impromptu press briefing, said the fare structure would be similar to that of the inter-island fast ferry service operated by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT). Warner added the water taxi service would only serve to complement the regular fast ferry service. He said while he supported the water taxi service, his focus was
the introduction of a 30-minute service between Scarborough and Toco. Warner acknowledged the importance of upgrade works on the road network of the Trinidad north-east coast to this service. “In Toco there is some work to be done, particularly on the road that leads to the berthing area and that will be done,” he assured.
“But I am saying to you that for a country, and I want to say it publicly, for a country that spends $578 million on a rapid rail study that is in a box, I don’t see if you
have to spend $100 million to give Tobago and Trinidad more connections, that is money badly spent,” Warner added. He also lamented the poor state of the facilities at the Scarborough port, indicating his intention to draw it to the attention of PATT.“I must tell you that I have to (prepare) a note to the Port Authority; I am not happy with what I have seen here, nothing has changed since I was here last,” said Warner. He noted there was no cover for passengers between the terminal building and the ferry.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Orville London said the inter-island ferry service should be improved first before the introduction of a water taxi facility.
“We would not be against anything that increases the traffic but before we do that we should see about the efficiency of the current service,” London said at the post-Executive Council media briefing.
He said the THA was not consulted about the water taxi proposal.
