Aquabus

Name

Aquabus

Legal name

Cardiff Cruises Ltd

Website

https://aquabus.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Transportation Services

NAICS

Water Transportation (483), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAEAGAF

Harbor & Water Taxi Passenger Services

Travel & Hospitality/Cruises & Maritime Leisure Travel/Ferries & Leisure Passenger Shipping

SECONDARYTLAFAAAN

Ferry & Passenger Water Transport Operators

Transportation & Logistics/Passenger Transportation (Air, Rail, Bus, Taxi/Rideshare)/Commercial Airlines (Full-Service & Regional)

SECONDARYTLAFALAB

Urban/Commuter Ferry Operators (Harbor/Water Taxi)

Transportation & Logistics/Passenger Transportation (Air, Rail, Bus, Taxi/Rideshare)/Ferry & Passenger Water Transport Operators

SECONDARYTHAJAJAA

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Marine & Water Experiences (Boat Tours, Diving, Snorkeling, Fishing)

SECONDARYTHAEAEAJ

Private Cruise Transfers & Tender Services (Water Taxis, Support Boats)

Travel & Hospitality/Cruises & Maritime Leisure Travel/Cruise Charter & Private Cruise Services

SECONDARYTLAFALAE

Passenger Catamaran Operators

Transportation & Logistics/Passenger Transportation (Air, Rail, Bus, Taxi/Rideshare)/Ferry & Passenger Water Transport Operators

Keywords

• Water taxi services
• Boat charter
• Sightseeing cruises
• Marine transportation
• Bay cruises

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Scheduled Water Taxi Services: Standard ticket sales for one-way and return journeys between City Centre and Cardiff Bay. Fares are tiered by passenger type (adult, child, concession, family). Revenue is transaction-based with no subscription component.
2. Private Boat Charter: Charter of the hospitality vessel Seren-y-Bae for bespoke events including birthdays, weddings, hen parties, corporate events, and product launches. The larger Enterprise vessel is available for school trips and larger parties. Bookings require 50% non-refundable deposit, with balance due 14 days before voyage.
3. Cardiff Bay Cruises: Sightseeing cruises around Cardiff Bay and the Barrage, including scenic views of rivers Taff and Ely. The larger Enterprise vessel (100 passenger capacity) operates these routes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aquabus operates scheduled water taxi services connecting Cardiff City Centre (Bute Park) to Cardiff Bay (Mermaid Quay) on an hourly timetable, sightseeing cruises around Cardiff Bay and the Barrage, and private boat charters for events, weddings, corporate functions, and school trips using its fleet of catamaran and hospitality vessels.

Product overview

Aquabus is a water taxi and boat cruise operator in Cardiff, Wales operating two distinct service lines. The City-Bay Link provides hourly scheduled water taxi service between Bute Park/Castle Grounds and Mermaid Quay using the Hydro vessel (capacity 24). The Private Boat Charter offering features the Seren-y-Bae for bespoke event charters (up to 7pm evening departures) and the Enterprise for larger groups up to 100 passengers, including school trips and educational visits. Ancillary offerings include trips on speedboats and sailing yachts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seren-y-Bae: Hospitality boat available for bespoke charters including birthdays, weddings, hen parties, product launches, and corporate events.
• Enterprise

Products and services

• City-Bay Link Water Taxi Hourly scheduled water taxi service connecting Bute Park (Castle Grounds) in Cardiff City Centre to Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay, with fares tiered by passenger type (adult, child, concession, family). Available for one-way and return journeys with hourly departures from the city and half-hourly from the bay.
• Cardiff Bay Cruises Sightseeing cruises around Cardiff Bay, the Barrage, and the rivers Taff and Ely, using the Hydro catamaran and the larger Enterprise vessel (100 passenger capacity). Passengers can stay on board for a full 60-minute round trip to enjoy scenic views.
• Private Boat Charter Bespoke private charter of the hospitality vessel Seren-y-Bae for events including birthdays, weddings, hen parties, corporate events, and product launches, with the larger Enterprise vessel (100 passenger capacity) used for school trips and larger parties. Bookings require a 50% non-refundable deposit with balance due 14 days before voyage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fully accessible service enabling wheelchair users, cyclists, and pet owners to travel between city centre and bay

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• EventbriteminorOthersThird-party ticketing platform used for event and charter bookings. Eventbrite handles event registration and ticketing functionality for Aquabus services.
• MailChimpminorOthersEmail marketing platform used for newsletter distribution and marketing communications. Aquabus moved to opt-in email marketing policy in April 2018 per GDPR requirements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Bateaux London: Operates dining cruises and private charters on the Thames. Comparable to Aquabus's Seren-y-Bae private charter and event product, focused on a more premium experiential niche.
• GoBoat: Self-drive electric boat rental operator on UK waterways. Adjacent leisure boating model with overlapping customer base (tourists and casual visitors), though different unit economics (rental vs. scheduled transport).

Direct peers

• Cardiff Boat: Another Cardiff Bay boat operator running sightseeing and event cruises on the Bay. Direct competitor for tourist ticket revenue in the same local market.
• Bristol Ferry Boats: Operates scheduled commuter ferry routes and sightseeing cruises on Bristol's Floating Harbour and River Avon. Closest UK analog to Aquabus's hybrid water-taxi/sightseeing model.

Regional players

• Welsh Boat Trips (Tenby / Pembrokeshire operators): Family of small Welsh boat tour operators running coastal and island-hopping excursions in Pembrokeshire. Comparable in scale, fleet size and seasonality to Aquabus, and indicative of the expansion geography in South Wales.
• York Castle Cruises: Regional UK sightseeing boat operator on the River Ouse. Comparable business model (small fleet, scheduled sightseeing cruises, charter) in a different UK city, useful as a regional benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• City Cruises: Global sightseeing and dining cruise operator across major cities. Overlaps with Aquabus on the sightseeing-cruise and private-charter side of the offering, though at far larger scale and multi-city.
• Thames Clippers (Uber Boats by Thames Clippers): Larger UK scheduled river-transit operator running frequent commuter and leisure services on the Thames. Same core model (scheduled urban water transit + leisure) but at materially greater scale and on a different river.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquabuscardiff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquabus

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquabus