Brad Freels desperately wants a Buffalo Bayou water taxi to serve Downtown Houston.
The CEO of Houston-based Midway said some think his desire is self-serving, since a water taxi could bring more visitors to Midway’s East River development, which occupies 150 acres along Buffalo Bayou — but that’s not the case.
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“Cut East River completely out, I don’t care,” Freels said at Bisnow’s 2026 Houston Executive Market Kickoff event at The Briar Club on Jan. 14.
Freels said he has been trying for a year to talk Houston Mayor John Whitmire into the concept, which began floating around in early 2024. The initial vision for the water taxi covered a 3- to 4-mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou, transporting passengers to and from restaurants, residences and workplaces.
In a statement to Bisnow, Whitmire acknowledged a conversation with Freels but said the water taxi was a suggestion rather than a direct request.
“I am working with the City of Houston Planning Department to develop a plan and review questions about costs, location, safety and who funds the project," Whitmire said in the statement.
A dock already exists, and minimal infrastructure would be required to implement the taxi, Freels said.
“It's the shortest putt that can make the biggest difference in how Houston is perceived,” Freels said at the event.
Freels, a longtime believer in Downtown's revitalization, wants to have a water taxi up and running before the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is expected to bring half a million visitors to Houston.
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Boats could help show these visitors Houston’s theaters, museums and other cultural attractions, including POST Houston, the Downtown Aquarium and the Wortham Theater Center.
“All that can have a different face on it if we just look at it from a different angle,” Freels said. “It just drives me crazy that Houston doesn't take advantage of what we have to become a cultural hub and a tourist hub, because it's there. We just don’t take advantage of it.”
If travelers see these attractions through a water taxi trip, they may go home thinking, “Wow, Houston is pretty cool,” and make plans to return, he said.
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