The crowd to take the Navibus in Trentemoult, Sunday May 9, 2021 – J. Urbach / 20 Minutes
- Since the end of April, free transport has been introduced in Nantes.
- The measure also works for the Navibus, which attracted many walkers this Sunday.
It would just have taken bright sunshine for everything to be perfect. But this Sunday afternoon in Nantes, the atmosphere was already very nice aboard the Navibus, this boat which crosses the Loire between the Gare maritime stop and the village of Trentemoult. Since mid-April, with the return of the sunny days and the few possibilities in terms of leisure, these mini-cruises have been a great success on weekends. It must be said that as for the rest of the TAN network, you no longer need to pay a ticket to get on board, on Saturdays and Sundays.
Sunglasses on the nose, the wind in full face, Thierry and Annie are delighted. This retired couple managed to squeeze all the way to the front of the boat, where seats are the most popular. That’s it, let’s go for ten minutes of crossing. On one side, we can see the waterfall of the Extraordinary Garden, on the other, the yellow crane and the Banana Hangar pass by…
“We discover the two banks of the Loire, it’s really nice, observe these sixties, who were even able to embark with their bikes. All for free, what more could you ask for! “” I would stay there all afternoon, slips a woman to her friend. It feels like a vacation, isn’t it? However, it will be necessary to descend to make room for the many walkers of all ages whose silhouettes stand out on the pier in the distance.
The biggest outing boat
It is 4 p.m. and things are already jostling to come back from their little tour in Trentemoult. On the quay, Anaïs and Maéva report having “adored the colorful alleys” that they had never taken the time to visit until then. But the two students, at the back of the line, hope not to have to wait for the next passage, scheduled every 20 minutes. “Some were failed last weekend so it was decided to take out the largest boat, 140 seats against 90 in normal times, reports one of the two crew members of the Navibus, who also notes” the great enthusiasm of the people ”. Even with that, it was still full on Saturday, especially between 4 and 7 p.m. “
At Semitan, it is confirmed that the counters have climbed. On this line N1, the busiest (693,000 passengers in 2019 with an increase of 5 to 10% per year), between 1,700 and 2,300 passengers were recorded on the last two Sundays. Opened in February 2020, line N2, between Quai Wilson and Bas Chantenay, totaled between 600 and 800 passengers on the same two days.
New line projects
Two new Navibus lines are planned for entry into service in 2022. One will leave from Bas-Chantenay to connect to a new pier called Trentemoult Aval, to the west of the village of Rezene. The other river link will make round trips between Gare maritime and Trentemoult Aval. A third line, intended for tourism, should be commissioned in 2023 to link Trentemoult-Roquios, the Heron Tree, the Banana Shed, the Maritime Station and the Parc des Chantiers.