A Niagara area man is working to make a Lake Ontario express service a reality, one that would benefit the environment and commuters. He is pitching a plan for a hovercraft service between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.

WBFO Canada correspondent Dan Karpenchuk reports

Bruno Caciagli is a retired consultant. For the past three years he has been putting together a proposal to convince Toronto and other Canadian authorities of its merits.



The proposed 40-passenger hovercraft water service between Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake would cost about $10 million. But Caciagli says such a service would cut down commuting time on major highways such as the Queen Elizabeth Way, along the north shore of Lake Ontario.

"In terms of time, we're looking at traffic on the QEW of one-and-a-half hours [by car], by train two-and-a-half hours, by hovercraft 50 minutes," Caciagli said.

There are other benefits, too, for transportation infrastructure and the environment.

"We have the potential of getting between 600 and 1,000 cars off the road on a daily basis. That's significant," he said.

Caciagli says he has met with regional and federal politicians, adding they have been very supportive of the idea. Still needed is the okay from several city councils as well as federal authorities, such as Parks Canada. He says he is convinced his proposal will eventually go ahead, but he can't say exactly when.