Brussels summer waterbus service beats expectations

Brussels' waterbus service carried 43,000 passengers this summer, beating expectations and making inroads into the commuter market for the first time.

Provisional figures published this week show the service from Place Sainctelette in Brussels to Vilvoorde attracted 10,000 more people than last summer. The 40,000-passenger target set for this year was beaten.

It was the sixth consecutive year that non-profit Brussels by Water had operated the ferry service. Tickets for the 10km journey, which passes by Docks Bruxsel shopping centre, cost just €3 and this year bicycles were allowed without charge for the first time.

Waterbus organiser Guido Moens said some commuters were starting to use the boat to get to work. "We want to work with other public transport operators to develop joint ticketing," he said. "We want this service to be better known."

For next summer, works will also be carried out at each boarding point to make docking smoother and improve accessibility.