Navibus is a group of
water bus
A water taxi or a water bus is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or ...
routes in the
French city of
Nantes, operated as part of the
Tan
Tan or TAN may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...
urban transit network that also includes
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
es and
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s. Routes operate on both the
River Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
and the
River Erdre, and accept the full range of standard Tan tickets.
The current services date back to an initial trial service on the River Loire in 2005. Historically, services were operated on the River Loire between 1887 and 1958 by a flotilla of eight steam boats known as ''roquios''.
Navibus routes
Three routes are operated:
*The ''Navibus Loire'' that operates along the River Loire from the ''Gare Maritime'', on the north bank close to the city centre and
Tramway de Nantes
The Nantes tramway (french: Tramway de Nantes) is a tramway system operating in the city of Nantes in Pays de la Loire, France. The first tramway in Nantes opened in 1879 and closed in 1958 due to bombing damage during World War II, while the ...
line 1, to the fishing village of
Trentemoult on the south bank of the river. This route is operated throughout the day by a single boat providing a 20 minute interval service, with an additional boat increasing the frequency to 10 minutes during peak periods.
*The ''Navibus Erdre'' that operates from the southern entrance to
Nantes railway station, through the 800m
St Felix canal tunnel to a stop at ''St Mihiel'', immediately adjacent to the stop of the same name on tram line 2, and up the River Erdre to a terminus at the ''Petit Port/Facultés'', close to the campus of the
University of Nantes
The University of Nantes (french: Université de Nantes) is a public university located in the city of Nantes, France. In addition to the several campuses scattered in the city of Nantes, there are two satellite campuses located in Saint-Nazaire ...
. This service is operated by a single hybrid diesel electric boat on a 60 minute interval.
*The ''Navibus Passeur de l'Erdre'' that crosses the River Erdre from the ''Petit Port/Facultés'' to ''Port Boyer'' on the opposite bank. This is operated by a single small boat on demand.
Navibus fleet
Five vessels operate, or have operated, on the various Navibus routes.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Navibus
Navibus page on Tan web site(in French)
Transport in Nantes
Ferry transport in France