The Waterbus transported almost 780,000 passengers, larger ships arrive in March (Antwerp)
Aqualiner, operator of De Waterbus, will deploy larger vessels this year. The number of passengers is increasing year after year. In 2022, no net 780,000 people will be using De Waterbus. That’s an increase of 23 percent from the previous year.
Patrick Van de Perre
The Waterbus has the wind in its sails. When the water connection was launched in 2017, 105,000 people used De Waterbus in six months. And a year later there were already 318,000. The Dutch company Aqualiner then predicted that De Waterbus would be a success in Antwerp.
Rightly so, as it turns out. Despite a small drop due to corona, the number of users is crescendo with a provisional record last year. Both Antwerp residents and Waaslanders use De Waterbus more often. Both for commuting and for recreation.
That is why Aqualiner is going to put larger ships into service this year. “Our oldest ships will be replaced in March by more modern and larger ones. In the long term, these ships will also be able to run on electricity,” says De Waterbus operational manager Thierry Van Steenbergen.
This means that the ships will become hybrid. soon tests will also be carried out with fully electric ships. In due course, it must extend the service on the routes that De Waterbus travels.
Stop Van Cauwelaertsluis on the way
It is expected that a new De Waterbus stop will be added in the course of the year. “It concerns the Van Cauwelaert lock. Both Aqualiner and the Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services are asking for a stopping point at that location,” says Thierry Van Steenbergen.
Another decision that has been made for a while is Temse. The municipality, among others, is a requesting party. “That remains music for the time being. If we want to have extra ships and therefore also need extra personnel,” says the operational manager.
There is a major shortage of nautical personnel in inland shipping, which means that De Waterbus also has a hard time finding trained personnel. The timetable, with a stop every half hour, will be maintained.
Finally, it is still the intention that a journey with De Waterbus is included in the subscription of De Lijn. The Flemish government and the city of Antwerp are asking for such a formula. Thierry Van Steenbergen hopes that steps can be taken quickly in this matter. For the time being, a trip with De Waterbus still has to be paid for separately.