Manchester’s water taxi service has run aground after two years, blaming the region’s transport authority for failing to get behind it.

The Waxi boat trips launched on the Bridgewater Canal in 2016, ferrying passengers between Castlefield and the Trafford Centre, before expanding to connect Salford Quays with Spinningfields last year.

But operator Steven Cadwell has now abandoned ship, claiming Transport for Greater Manchester’s reluctance to fund proper landings put passengers off - and put him out of business.

“If you take a boat from MediaCity to town, you’re scrambling up a rusty old ladder to get to Spinningfields,” he said.

“You’re talking BBC executives in their Louboutins. It’s embarrassing. I’m confident it put people off.”

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Steven founded the company in 2009 and, working with Salford Council, secured £1m from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to build a number of pontoon platforms between Chapel Wharf and MediaCityUK.

But work on the Ordsall Chord rail link, which led to the temporary closure of the river navigation, scuppered the plans and the funding was used for the Port Salford Greenway cycling and walking route instead.

Steven appealed to TfGM to help fund the infrastructure - but says the transport authority refused to get behind it.

His investors have now pulled out and he has put the boats up for sale.

“The lack of integration and support from TfGM has put us out of business,” he said.

“I struggled for years to get TfGM to buy into it. It’s no different than bus shelters and bus stops. We wanted to be part of the public transport infrastructure.

“The commuters were put off, when you’re getting people on in winter at 7am and there’s no proper waiting area for them.

“It got to the stage that when water levels rose, getting people on and off became dangerous because the proper infrastructure wasn’t in place.”

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Steven believes integrating the water taxi service into the public transport network would have helped TfGM to ease congestion on the roads and trams.

“You look at all the best cities in the world, look at London, I know the Irwell isn’t the Thames but we could have done a scaled version of that,” he added.

Waxi journeys took around 20 minutes between the city centre and Old Trafford, priced at £5 for a return trip when they launched, and around an hour to the Trafford Centre, priced at £7.

Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said he was disappointed to hear that the Waxi service had ceased trading.

“I had personally used the service before and really enjoyed the journey, I thought it was a great asset for the city,” he said.

“From the very start of the regeneration at Salford Quays, it’s been really important to provide activity and life on the water, as seen at the successful Watersports centre.

“The council viewed Waxi as part of an important step to create a regional centre that once again properly embraced its waterways by using it for everyday transport.”

(Image: waxi)

Mayor Dennett said the council was still seeking a new source of funding to provide the necessary facilities in future.

“Proper infrastructure, pontoon landings and ramps, are required to provide a fully accessible service and in 2015, working with TfGM, the council secured funding from the EU to provide a number of landings between Chapel Wharf and MediaCityUK,” he said.

“Delivery of the Ordsall Chord infrastructure and the temporary closure of the river navigation meant that we would not be able to fulfil the obligations attached to the funding; we therefore used the funding to support the Port Salford Greenway project.

“Since then we had kept in contact with the Waxi team and have encouraged TfGM to include water based services in their emerging transport strategies. We are still seeking a new source of funding for the major investment needed for the landings and continue to believe that the river and all the other waterways, including the Ship Canal and Port Salford will have an important role to play across Greater Manchester for moving people and goods in the future.”

Jon Lamonte, CEO of Transport for Greater Manchester, said the authority had always promoted more water transport as part of its long-term strategy, and was sorry to see the Waxi service cease trading.

He added: “Like all modes of transport, the introduction and maintenance of these services are dependent on customer demand, the availability of necessary funding and sound business cases."