A FLEET of luxury water taxis will ply the Brisbane River in a plan to bring a touch of Venice-style glamour to the city.

Proposals for the new multi­billion-dollar casino and integrated resort at Queen’s Wharf include a boating base from where tourists can explore other local attractions.

And Yellow Cabs boss Neill Ford is in talks with Echo Entertainment chiefs about using the new CBD development as a hub for a water-taxi service.

“It’s been a concept of mine for about 15 years, and Queen’s Wharf provides the opportunity to make something happen,” Mr Ford said. “We are a river city after all, so we should really promote it.

“It becomes a tourist attraction in its own right. You would be looking at really beautiful boats with polished timber and so on. Maybe not as expensive as those in Venice, but something really attractive.”

Mr Ford said there was also interest from restaurant owners across the river at South Bank, where there is already a jetty that could be used.

In addition to tourists, the water taxis would appeal to locals looking for a special night out at the new resort precinct or other city venues, and to commuters from Brisbane’s riverside suburbs looking to dodge road congestion.

It’s expected services would be a similar price to catching an executive taxi, which have an $11 flagfall.

“There are about 1000 properties along the river with private jetties. You could pick someone up from their home address by boat, bring them to the city, and they could hop into a normal cab to continue the journey. Electronically, we can continue the fare as a ­single journey.’’

Mr Ford said the fleet could start with half a dozen water taxis and grow with demand.

An Echo spokeswoman said the complex, due to open in 2022, would create openings for new services, including water taxis.

“We can create a central hub that uses the river to connect the precinct not just to the Brisbane CBD and across to South Bank, but to other local attractions in Brisbane.

“The ability to provide direct river transport services to key attractions from this new central hub would provide convenient connections for visitors and locals alike.

“For example, people could potentially board a vessel at Queen’s Wharf for a day trip around Moreton Bay, or to travel to Tangalooma to feed the dolphins.”

Queen’s Wharf is not seen as a competitor to the $1.3 billion Toondah Harbour project at Cleveland, which was approved by the State Government last month and will include a top-class terminal for ferries to North Stradbroke, as well as retail, commercial and residential development.