Hovercraft service from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake proposed
They’re “fast, amphibious” and can go over ice on Lake Ontario.

thestar.com
By May Warren
Jan. 19, 2017

If you were excited about the announcement of new daily flights from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake, you’ll love Bruno Caciagli’s pitch.

The Beamsville consultant wants to start a hovercraft water service between the two cities, to cut down on time commuters spend travelling and the number of cars on the road.

“The idea is that this water link would run year round, weather permitting,” Caciagli told Metro.

Caciagli wants to use hovercrafts because they’re “fast, amphibious” and can go over ice on Lake Ontario.

He sees two markets for his Lake Ontario Express service: tourists and commuters.

Then, of course, there’s the environment to think of. Tourists and commuters combined make an average of 5,717 highway trips between Niagara and Toronto daily, according to a 2011 Go Transit study.

Based on Caciagli’s research: “We have the potential of eliminating between 600 and 1,000 cars per day off of the highway.”

The trip would cost $25 per person per ride and would take about 40 minutes.

Although he’s aiming to launch in spring 2018, Caciagli has a long way to go before the dream becomes a reality.

He presented it to Niagara-on-the-Lake’s town council Monday, but they didn’t approve the idea in principle as he had requested.

Instead, they directed him towards Parks Canada, which owns a pier the service would use.

Caciagli said he has since met with parks officials but hasn’t even started the process of getting port access in Toronto.