July 16, 2008
Water Taxi Denies Charging for Free Ikea Service
Last week there was considerable ebullience voiced by Red Hook residents who were taking full advantage of the free shuttle buses and Water Taxi service provide by IKEA. This weekend many were looking forward to “hacking” free Water Taxi to get to the food vendors’ first weekend back at the Red Hook ball fields. An IKEA rep even told the Daily News, “We are thrilled that we are providing free transit options for the people of New York to come to IKEA and to come to Red Hook. We support mass transit, and if people are using our services and not going to IKEA, that's fine with us as well."
Now Curbed is hearing some scuttlebutt about New York Water Taxi, finally fed up with the freeloaders, starting to charge people. Tipsters tell Curbed that the Water Taxi has started stamping the hands of IKEA shoppers, and anyone without a hand stamp or a receipt from the store has to pay $6. But a representative for Water Taxi tells us:
This isn’t true. The service is free. The demand for service has been so high, that IKEA has instituted an in store hand stamp for customers who traveled to the store via the free Water Taxi to insure that the customers they are providing the free Water Taxi shuttle for get first in line and get a seat on the Water Taxi to get back to Manhattan.Got that? The rep also assures us that "as long as there is space on the Water Taxi after IKEA customers board it is open and free to everyone." At any rate, we're just glad someone got a photo of that sign, wherever it came from.
UPDATE: IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth called to emphasize that IKEA is not charging for the Water Taxi but that because of high demand "preference at peak times is being given to people coming from IKEA to get on the Water Taxi first. And since there's only one dock, we can't have multiple ships there at once." Roth added that IKEA is monitoring usage and may make changes to the free service after the summer, but at this time there are no plans to start charging for non-customers. And in case you were wondering, "that sign was not put up by IKEA or Water Taxi."
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Well, if it is true, there's a simple solution. Don't wash your hand once you have the stamp!
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what the fuck, that sign isn't real, water taxi is a business, not a fucking homeless shack
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great digital enhancing work gothamist's imaging team
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yeah, who did that sign the Son of Sam?
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Gothamist has an Imaging Team??
Is that like PR work?
;)
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Gothamist really, really wants to create a scandal out Ikea for some reason.
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Hand Stamp? that's gay. You spend money to go to Ikea and what do you get in return? Graffiti on your skin and ten minutes washing that shit off.
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Ha ha...and grammar police, too.
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non-costumers
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The Ikea ferry terminal in Red Hook is probably located closer to many thousands of residents who live in one of the many NYCHA Projects of Red Hook than the subway station at Smith % 9th Streets. Because the ferry is free many with low income would choose to walk some distance to avoid the subway fare.
But, let's face it. Unlike Hell, the ferry has limited space for newcomers.
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Gothamist spell-grammer check team! Go for it!