HUNGARY: New regular public transport boats lure passengers to the Danube

Record ID: 838587

  • Title: HUNGARY: New regular public transport boats lure passengers to the Danube
  • Date: 16th July 2012
  • Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (JULY 13, 2012) (REUTERS) BUDAPEST TRANSPORT COMPANY [BKK] BOAT COMING FROM UNDER BRIDGE PASSENGERS ON DECK LOOKING AT VIEW VIEW OF CASTLE DISTRICT AS BOAT PASSING VARIOUS OF CONDUCTOR SELLING TICKETS TO PASSENGERS (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) PASSENGER, MARTA TOTH, SAYING: "I normally take the underground but it`s pretty warm, smelly and noisy. But travelling to work this way is very different, your day starts much better if you go on a nice quiet boat than in the underground." ROPE BEING THROWN TO DECK AT BOAT PIER PASSENGERS EMBARKING AND DISEMBARKING VARIOUS OF SIGN SHOWING BOAT TICKET PRICE AND VALID PASSES AT BOAT STOP (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF CENTRE FOR BUDAPEST TRANSPORT COMPANY BKK, DAVID VITEZY, SAYING: "In the next months we hope and I think that this will be the major role of these boat services to use them as a part of our public transport network. And if it happens we have plans to further develop these services which means that we have plans to procure new faster river boats for the Danube because these current boats are refurbished but they are 20-40 years old and they are different. So their speed is not the same and we have challenges because of that and we have plans to build more piers along the Danube and maybe extend the services to the metropolitan area of Budapest as well." VARIOUS OF BENEDEK VASAK WORKING ON HIS LAPTOP ON BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) PASSENGER, BENEDEK VASAK, SAYING: "I travel north-south direction anyway so this comes really handy for me. It's perfect for me to work here as by the time I get into work I have the daily plan laid out from the e-mails so I am ready to start work when I get off the boat, it's really good for that." FISHERMAN ON DANUBE EMBANKMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) PASSENGER, BALAZS KISS, SAYING: "It seems to me that there are too many stops along the way, but this is just a feeling. It's good for a leisure trip but for me it's not very practical to use it to go to work, it's too long, it needs to be about 20 minutes long for me to be worthy coming this way, then it would be a real alternative, but this way it's a pleasant trip that brightens a working day." BOAT WHEEL / PASSENGERS ON DECK BOAT CAPTAIN TURNING WHEEL VARIOUS OF BOAT PASSING VIEW OF DANUBE AND PARLIAMENT FROM BUDAPEST TRANSPORT COMPANY [BKK] BOAT PASSENGER ON DECK
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hungary
  • City:
  • Country: Hungary
  • Topics: Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVAE39KMJ50NZNESOBSELJEVB617
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A calm leisurely sail on the Danube has always been a tourist attraction in Budapest. Now residents can enjoy daily trips along the river for the price of less than two bus tickets or simply by using their monthly pass.
    Since July, the city transport company has launched regular boat services along the Danube in an effort to link the river into the city's public transport routes.
    In the first two weeks the new river routes proved to be extremely popular - thousands wanted to use the boats instead of overcrowded subway and buses. In response the city transport company revised the timetable and doubled the boat service times.
    About half of the passengers use it for leisure purposes as many Budapest residents could not afford high tourist boat prices before. Others use it in their daily routine, going to work or into the city centre, even though the boat trip may take longer.
    "I normally take the underground but it`s pretty warm, smelly and noisy. But travelling to work this way is very different, your day starts much better if you go on a nice quiet boat than in the underground," said passenger Marta Toth.
    In the 1970s there was a scheduled boat service with an annual 3 million trips but later the numbers went down and the regular frequent services were dropped, according to the city's transport company. Only tourist river services remained where people had to pay much to use the boats and normal public transport passes could not be used.
    Now the city would like to give the river as a transport route back to the city dwellers.
    "In the next months we hope and I think that this will be the major role of these boat services to use them as a part of our public transport network. And if it happens we have plans to further develop these services which means that we have plans to procure new faster river boats for the Danube because these current boats are refurbished but they are 20-40 years old and they are different. So their speed is not the same and we have challenges because of that and we have plans to build more piers along the Danube and maybe extend the services to the metropolitan area of Budapest as well," head of the Center for Budapest Transport Company David Vitezy said.
    Every passenger can use boats with their regular public transport monthly or yearly pass, or pay a single ticket price of 400 Forints (1.40 Euros).
    The boats have WiFi and buffets to make the journey comfy and useful for business people.
    "I travel north-south direction anyway so this comes really handy for me. It's perfect for me to work here as by the time I get into work I have the daily plan laid out from the e-mails so I am ready to start work when I get off the boat, it's really good for that," passenger Benedek Vasak said.
    For those living and working far away the river, the boat trip will remain an occasional leisure event rather than an alternative to subway, buses or cars.
    "It seems to me that there are too many stops along the way, but this is just a feeling. It's good for a leisure trip but for me it's not very practical to use it to go to work, it's too long, it needs to be about 20 minutes long for me to be worthy coming this way, then it would be a real alternative, but this way it's a pleasant trip that brightens a working day," passenger Balazs Kiss said.
    Using EU funds, the city spent 2 million Euros for refurbishing current docks, piers and built 9 new piers. There are now altogether 15 piers and three boat routes. Boats run every 30-40 minutes in and off peak hours.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register