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Inauguration of a Waterbus between Brusselsand Vilvorde

 - ©Waterbus

2013-07-05 - The Waterbus, a form of interregional public waterway transport that is original, pleasant, comfortable and congestion-free, was inaugurated on the Canal between Brusselsand Vilvorde today. It is the first of its kind in Belgium.

Up to the end of October, you can travel between Brussels and Vilvorde on Tuesdays and Thursdays, six times a day. The eight stops connect with conventional public transport, meaning that you can board the Waterbus and disembark near residential and commercial areas, leisure facilities, tourist attractions and office buildings – those of today and those of the future. The aim is to expand the service gradually, so that ultimately there will be several Waterbuses operating every day from early morning to late at night.

The Waterbus has two fare zones. Travelling within a zone costs €2, while travelling between zones costs an extra €1. Children aged 3 to 11travel half-fare, and you can take your bike with you for a surcharge of €1 per zone.

Details of the route, stops and fare zones can be found on www.waterbus.eu and at the embarkation points. For the time being you still need to book your place: 02.218.54.10.

In the view of the Brussels Minister for Public Works, Transport and the Port of Brussels, “The Waterbus represents a complementary transport solution in the Brussels-Capital Region. As well as an environmentally friendly mode of transport which avoids the traffic jams, it is also a pleasant and original way of getting around. What’s more, Waterbus passengers can easily connect with other forms of public transport or continue their journey by bike or bike share. Intermodality is thus one of the major goals of this project.”

Tom Dehaene, president of Kanaaltochten Brabant and joint initiator of the Waterbus with Brusselsby Water, said he believed that the project has good prospects: “The current service is a good start, there’s a real vision in place and the project should develop rapidly over the next few years.” He said that smooth collaboration with the public transport companies, the waterway operators and the municipalities that flank the Canal must take priority. He thanked the National Lottery and the Regions of Brussels and Flandersfor their support, and the municipalities of Brussels, Vilvorde and Molenbeek for their encouragement of this launch phase. “This project provides a real opportunity to collaborate beyond municipal, regional and linguistic boundaries and across different areas of competence,” he concluded.