Living in a completely carfree, pedestrian historical city like Venice needs special urban infrastructure and facilities. The Venetians have created a unique system of public transportation through the years. The main method of moving within the city in longer ranges is taking water bus or as the Italians say Vaporetto. These water buses are small ships or sometimes boats that move between predefined routes and stations. There are several lines between the islands of Venice city like the main island, Lido, Murano, San Michele, Isola Le Vignole, La Giudecca, etc.
Every Vaporetto can have a capacity of up to 100 people. In busy hours more passengers can get on the boats.
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| Inside a small Vaporetto (water bus) in Venice |
Normally the bigger boats cruise in the main lines, like some of the lines in the Grand Canal. Smaller boats move in other lines.
Not only it is not possible to use car in the main island, but also in many parts it is hard to use bicycle, because the bicycle riders should pass the steps of the little bridges connecting the two sides of the small canals that flow all over the island.
It is wonderful that the people use these water buses as their every-day public transit easily.
When you live in the city for a while, you hear no noise of automobiles. Maybe the only usual noise is the sound of the engines of the water buses.
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| Vaporetto in Venice |
There are also regulations for the public transportation in Venice. Some parts of the surrounding water of the main island is signed so that the routes of the ships and boats be defined. This is particularly seen in the northeast of the island in the route that lead to Murano.
This is a way of creating a sustainable urban transportation based on the needs and special necessities of a city. In Venice, when they say public transportation, they mean Vaporetto. Of course there cars in Lido island and the usual automobile-oriented urban scenes are seen in this island, which is located in the east, south and southeast of the main Venice island.
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| Magnificent facade of the old buildings along the Grand Canal |
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| A Gondola (traditional Venetian boat) with Santa Maria Church in the background. One of the beautiful scenes that a Vaporetto passenger can see. |
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| Again a water bus |
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| Vaporetto in the south of the Venice Island |
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