New launch from Leeds Dock Water Taxi – Uber-style tracking app

It’s already Leeds’ most pleasant commute, along the scenic canal, but now the water taxi service has just got even better with the launch of a new app allowing users to see the exact positions of the two bright yellow boats. The real-time boat tracker TaxiTrak, showcased at last month’s Waterfront Festival, has been inspired by Uber and developed by DealTrak to allow for more efficient journey planning – great news for the 120,000 passengers who use them each year.  

Leeds Dock Water Taxi run two Amsterdam-built boats (nicknamed Twee and Drie) every day between Leeds Dock, by Armouries, and Granary Wharf, at the south entrance of the main train station. Weekdays Twee and Drie run every 15 minutes between 7am and 7pm and weekends 10am to 6pm, and with TaxiTrak you can now see exactly where they are. Trips take 10 to 15 minutes and are just £1 (kids five and under go free).    

The app is the latest enhancement by Leeds Dock Water Taxi in line with continuous development in the Leeds Dock area, home to several residential apartment blocks, waterside shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets, and Sky’s Digital & Technology Services Campus plus the DealTrak HQ.  

DealTrak MD Martin Hill says, “The nature of our work means we have a lot of meetings with people who travel into Yorkshire by rail, and the water taxi provides a great – and impressive – link between our office and the station. There aren’t many places where you can float between offices and apartments on your daily commute, and we’re delighted to be able to enhance people’s experience of the service – and our vibrant city.”  

More updates to the water taxi service and the app have been promised towards the end of the year, when it might become possible to book a spot on a particular taxi, each of which can carry 12 passengers – just like a land-based Uber.  

More at TaxiTrak and Leeds Dock Water Taxi.