Photo from Long Beach Transit. 

Event goers headed to this year’s CHILL at the Queen Mary are being offered a new mode of transportation, the AquaLink water taxi service operated by Long Beach Transit (LBT), the Queen Mary’s leaseholder Urban Commons announced.

Through a public-private partnership with LBT that was tested out during the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, AquaLink passengers boarded in Rainbow Harbor and rode the water taxi directly to the ocean liner. This marked the first time an alternate mode of transportation was used to alleviate traffic congestion for a large-scale event at the historic ship, according to the release.

“Parking and traffic congestion continue to be the biggest challenges we face at The Queen Mary,” Dan Zaharoni, chief development officer at Urban Commons said in a statement. “In an effort to attract a record audience to Dark Harbor this year, we realized the importance of providing a convenient and most importantly, environmentally friendly way to get to and from the event.”

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During Dark Harbor between September 29 and November 1 the AquaLink recorded nearly 30,000 boardings. This year, the Halloween-themed event set a record with 140,000 attendees during its run, averaging 6,086 people per night, according to Urban Commons.

“Working with private partners to provide the AquaLink water taxi service not only enhanced the experience of people attending Dark Harbor, but also cut down the number of car trips taken, and reduced the impact of traffic and congestion around The Queen Mary,” LBT Chief Executive Officer Kenneth McDonald said in a statement.

With the ultimate goal of transporting upwards of 40,000 people on and off the island daily with its forthcoming development, Urban Commons approached LBT and the City of Long Beach over a year ago in an effort to tackle the congestion with no cost to taxpayers, Zaharoni stated.

“It will be crucial for us to continue innovating novel transit options that encourage public transportation and in a manner that contributes to making Queen Mary Island a sustainable green development,” Zaharoni said in a statement.

CHILL event goers can catch the AquaLink, aka the CHILL Express, for free with a valid CHILL ticket. Its hours of operation are from 4:00PM to 11:30PM on CHILL dates. Guests can park at the Aquarium of the Pacific at 99 Golden Shore. For prices and more information, visit the link here.

CHILL runs from December 13 to January 7 and will be closed December 31. For more information, visit the website here . To learn more about the AquaLink, click here.