Take the slow boat to work? Water taxi service launches on the Bridgewater Canal

A new water taxi service has launched connecting Sale with Manchester city centre along the Bridgewater Canal.

waxi, founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Steven Cadwell, is the first service of its kind in Greater Manchester and will take passengers from Sale Arts Centre from 7.30am tomorrow morning.

Services on the “waxis” will operate morning and evening on weekdays between Sale and Castlefield – as revealed in August by our colleagues at Sale Today – with a circular route running from Castlefield to Old Trafford and the intu Trafford Centre.

The 4mph (6km/h) journeys will be free during the trial period ahead of a full launch on November 21st.

Cadwell said: “It’s taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get this point but we are really excited about waxi’s services finally launching. It’s something that will appeal to a lot of people who want a different way to travel to work or to football matches.

“We know our roadways are getting more and more congested, and more people are seeking alternative forms of transport. At the moment we have two boats but we are looking to add to the fleet next year as the business develops.”