Topical issues of justification and use of various types of passenger transport are considered. Use peculiarities and operating costs of automobile, railway, air, sea and river transport are analyzed on the example of the North-Western region of Russia. Special attention is paid to the use of sea and river high-speed passenger ships. Technical and operational characteristics of new types of high-speed passenger ships are described. A feasibility study of using various types of high-speed passenger ships has been performed. It is shown that according to a number of technical and economic indicators of the passenger transportation efficiency, WIG vessels exceed the characteristics of other types of high-speed vessels.