Coventry Canal Taxi

[ditchcrawler]

I have just read that there will be a water taxi running from Coventry Basin to Hawkesbury junction stopping off at the Arena  The only info I can find is on Facebook (5) Canal & River Trust Community Roots Coventry | Please share Widely | Facebook but this is what is said

 

"Please share Widely. It was a while coming but the timetable for the water taxi in Cov is here. For two weeks there will be a free water taxi departing from Hawksbury Junction or the Canal Basin heading to the Arena at Bridge 9. See the pictures for details. The Boat can carry 12 people maximum so please don't plan a journey for a group that is larger. The Taxi will not be stopping at locations along the route. It will run from the Basin to the Arena and on to Hawksbury Junction or from Hawksbury Junction to the Arena and then on to the canal basin. Due to the time schedule we cannot make other stops."

[Captain Pegg]

in relation to the Commonwealth Games rugby at the Arena.

 

It will take about 90 minutes from Coventry Basin.

Edited July 29, 2022 by Captain Pegg

[Athy]

12 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

in relation to the Commonwealth Games rugby at the Arena.

 

 

Thank you. I was wondering.

Isn't there a decent rugby ground in Brum?

[Captain Pegg]

No, it would require a football stadium to be used as happened for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

 

The Coventry Building Society Arena is owned by Wasps rugby club and the rugby season doesn’t clash with the Commonwealth Games, albeit the stadium is also Coventry City FC’s home ground and their first league fixture is this weekend.

Edited July 29, 2022 by Captain Pegg

[Athy]

9 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

No, it would require a football stadium to be used as happened for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

 

The Coventry Building Society is owned by Wasps rugby club and the rugby season doesn’t clash with the Commonwealth Games, albeit the stadium is also Coventry City FC’s home ground and their first league fixture is this weekend.

Ah, gotcha, this is the Ricoh Arena?

I don't think that Wasps own the BS though. The BS is independent as far as I know. They may own the ground.

I must admit that until now I had no idea where Wasps' home ground was!

 

[Captain Pegg]

6 minutes ago, Athy said:

Ah, gotcha, this is the Ricoh Arena?

I don't think that Wasps own the BS though. The BS is independent as far as I know. They may own the ground.

I must admit that until now I had no idea where Wasps' home ground was!

 

Yes, sponsorship now has it as the CBS Arena rather than the Ricoh. I’ve added the important missing word to my post.

 

I’m sure that the Building Society don’t own the ground.

 

Wasps home ground is in Sudbury, north west London but it probably has apartments on it now. They are interlopers in a city that already had fine rugby heritage.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Captain Pegg

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

in relation to the Commonwealth Games rugby at the Arena.

 

It will take about 90 minutes from Coventry Basin.

Have you found any more information on the service, I only found the Facebook bit. The timetables are on there and its an hour from the basin or from the junction.

[john6767]

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

in relation to the Commonwealth Games rugby at the Arena.

 

It will take about 90 minutes from Coventry Basin.

Was at the rugby this morning, free shuttle bus from Coventry station to the stadium, no more than 15 mins, will stick with that.

 

 

2 hours ago, Athy said:

Thank you. I was wondering.

Isn't there a decent rugby ground in Brum?

The original plan was to host the rugby at Villa Park (it hosted two ruby matches in the 2015 World Cup), but something must have happened behind the scenes as it was quietly switched to Coventry stadium.  There are also some other commonwealth games events taking place in the Coventry Arena, which is the facility attached to the side of the stadium.

 

[Captain Pegg]

16 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Was at the rugby this morning, free shuttle bus from Coventry station to the stadium, no more than 15 mins, will stick with that.

 

 

The original plan was to host the rugby at Villa Park (it hosted two ruby matches in the 2015 World Cup), but something must have happened behind the scenes as it was quietly switched to Coventry stadium.  There are also some other commonwealth games events taking place in the Coventry Arena, which is the facility attached to the side of the stadium.

 

A wise choice I think. The number 4 bus terminus used to be at a site that would now be right outside the CBS Arena. It probably still is, albeit completely unrecognisable from how it was.

 

In the case of Villa Park the rescheduling of the football season to accommodate a winter World Cup - coupled with the unforeseen occurrence of Villa remaining a Premier League team - may have been a factor. There’s big money there and it tends to win out.

 

Whereas on the other hand Wasps need every penny they can get and won’t have any compunction about annoying the mighty Sky Blues.

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Have you found any more information on the service, I only found the Facebook bit. The timetables are on there and its an hour from the basin or from the junction.

No, and there’s not actually anything I’ve seen to say it is for the Commonwealth Games. But why else would there be a taxi from Hawkesbury to the Arena, unless you want a tour of haunts of my youth? Even I’m not that keen on that idea.

[john6767]

7 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

No, and there’s not actually anything I’ve seen to say it is for the Commonwealth Games. But why else would there be a taxi from Hawkesbury to the Arena, unless you want a tour of haunts of my youth? Even I’m not that keen on that idea.

This post from Facebook seems to suggest it is for the duration of the games

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by john6767

[Hudds Lad]

I hope the weed hatch is easily accessible 😬

[MartinC]

16 hours ago, john6767 said:

Was at the rugby this morning, free shuttle bus from Coventry station to the stadium, no more than 15 mins, will stick with that.

 

 

 

 

The stadium has it's own rail station but, in view of the limited size of the station, trains do not stop there from one hour before matches to one hour after!

[Heartland]

There is a sorry tale of how the Ricoh came to be the home of the WASPS where Coventry City FC were effectively kicked out of the stadium for a time and had to play their matches elsewhere. Coventry had their own stadium once but went, or were enticed, to the Ricoh when the Foleshill Gasworks site was redeveloped.

 

The Coventry Canal runs past the Ricoh and the Taxi service is a useful addition which probably for the tourist aspect and the full trips boats in Broad Street, Birmingham, amply proves this demand,

 

As a serious transport route it is perhaps optimistic, however that said the Swift Packet boat of the 1840's between Birmingham and Wolverhampton did demonstrate there was a market for that trade.

 

 

 

[john6767]

On 30/07/2022 at 10:42, MartinC said:

The stadium has it's own rail station but, in view of the limited size of the station, trains do not stop there from one hour before matches to one hour after!

Not many trains to the Arena station, think it may be just one an hour from Coventry station, and it is not recommended by CWG that you use the train if going to/from Coventry station.  The shuttle busses that the games provide from free are numerous and do the job much better.

[dixi188]

It's nearly 4 miles from Coventry Basin to the Ricoh arena. How are they going to do it in 30 mins without speeding? I know a lot of the cut is concrete so a wash won't cause damage but is speeding for a water taxi allowed the same as taxis on the road🙂?

[ditchcrawler]

13 minutes ago, dixi188 said:

It's nearly 4 miles from Coventry Basin to the Ricoh arena. How are they going to do it in 30 mins without speeding? I know a lot of the cut is concrete so a wash won't cause damage but is speeding for a water taxi allowed the same as taxis on the road🙂?

I read it as an hour from the basin, 15 min at the arena and an hour to the junction

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I read it as an hour from the basin, 15 min at the arena and an hour to the junction

 

30 mins is realistic for the journey from Hawkesbury Junction (which as someone mansplained on FB last week is apparently a different place to Sutton Stop) but it'd need about 90 minutes from Coventry Basin. It may help if they were a bit more informative about timings. It would actually be quicker to walk from Coventry basin by road.

 

[ditchcrawler]

[Captain Pegg]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

 

So, did you misread it, or is this new/better information?

 

Good luck to the person who thinks it'd be a brilliant way to commute to work.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

So, did you misread it, or is this new/better information?

 

Good luck to the person who thinks it'd be a brilliant way to commute to work.

I bet most of the people using just want a free boat ride

[Col_T]

We’re moored by Hawksbury Junction at the moment. Water Taxi to/from the Basin seemed busy yesterday and today, pretty much full in fact. The fact it’s not raining probably helps!

[dixi188]

Yes, I misread the times. Tired old eyes and small print.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

On 03/08/2022 at 15:29, ditchcrawler said:

I bet most of the people using just want a free boat ride

If Prince Charles was not charged for his boat trip on the five and a half, the public are entitled to be treated in a similar manner.