Jul 14, 2008 10:00 pm US/Pacific
Sacramento May Cancel Water Taxis' Contract
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
The water taxis you're used to seeing in the Sacramento River will soon be gone, their contract cancelled.
The fight is getting ugly between the city and the boat company that operates the Spirit of Sacramento and the Rive Otter water taxis in Old Sacramento.
City officials say they're fed up with Sacramento Yacht Charters, which had granted exclusive rights to operate river cruises, water taxis, and amphibious trolleys since November 2006 on the Sacramento River.
"We worked for a year to get them to perform under the contract," said Barbara Bonebrake, from the City of Sacramento. "We got repeated promises with no action."
The city claims Sacramento Yacht Charters did not honor the contract by not offering a regular schedule for boat tours and other services. They also argue the boat company did not replace or renovate old boats required in the contract.
"We're out there trying to explain to everybody we're doing the best we can," said Gary Bradus, an attorney for Sacramento Yacht Charters. "Most of the issues we have are explained away by the poor economy."
Bradus says part of the problem is that fewer people are filling up the boats. "It doesn't make sense for a boat to disembark with nobody on board," he said.
The city says there have been too many broken promises and the company was given a year to stay afloat.
"They do little to no marketing so I think it's about running a quality of service," Bonebrake said.
Tuesday afternoon, the City Council is expected to vote on ending the contract early. If they go ahead with it, an interim boat company is expected to provide only boat tours, no water taxis or amphibious trolleys.
Meanwhile, the boat company will look at its options, including a possible lawsuit against the city.
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