After halting operations at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, Long Beach Transit’s AquaBus is ferrying passengers across Queensway Bay and through Rainbow Harbor once again.

AquaBus operations resumed Friday, with service seven days per week between the Queen Mary, Aquarium Dock 4 and Shoreline Village Dock 9 from 11 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. A one-way fare is $1.

The larger AquaLink water taxi has been operating on weekends in the wake of the pandemic, but it’s now offering expanded service seven days per week between Alamitos Bay Landing Berth 3 and Aquarium Dock 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. A third stop at the Queen Mary is expected to return in two to three weeks, spokesperson Mike Gold told the Post.

A one-way AquaLink fare is $5.

“Currently, the plan is to operate through Labor Day,” Gold said, “and LBT will evaluate whether to operate weekend service in the fall and beyond.”

Boats move through the water backdropped by the Downtown Long Beach skyline.
Long Beach Transit’s AquaLink water taxi approaches Dock 4 near the Aquarium of the Pacific Monday, May 29, 2023. The water craft ferries people from Dock 4 to Alamitos Bay Landing, with a Queen Mary stop returning in the coming weeks. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

Unlike AquaLink, the smaller AquaBus does not serve snacks or beverages—alcoholic or otherwise.

The AquaBus can carry a maximum of 35 passengers on a first-come, first-board basis with limited availability for strollers and bikes. The AquaLink, meanwhile, can carry up to 70 people, also on a first-come, first-board basis.

Both services are subject to weather conditions.

For more information and the services’ full schedules, click here.

Brandon Richardson is a reporter and photojournalist for the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal.