Crackdown on Uber for boats

An online phenomenon that has upended the taxi and limousine industry in big cities is hitting the water, so fast that the Coast Guard is looking for unlicensed and illegal for-hire boat operators who get their customers from the Internet. They are calling it “Uber for boats”, smartphone ride-sharing applications that connect tourists who want a cheap and convenient boat trip with private vessel owners. The services are proliferating in recent months, but officials suspect most of the operators don’t even have the bare requirements to legally carry passengers. Full story.