From the first of July, the “Waterbus” starts its operations to transport daily commuters between the suburbs and the city centre of Antwerp.
It is the objective of the Port of Antwerp Authority to improve the accessibility of both the city and the port. To realise this objective, at least 30,000 daily commuters need to be removed from the busy ring roads around Antwerp during rush hour. One of the alternative solutions is the introduction of passenger transportation at the river Scheldt. The Waterbus offers departures every 30 minutes and connects the areas of Hemiksem, Kruibeke, Hoboken and Antwerp City Center.
MTBS was hired by the Port of Antwerp Authority to support the tender procedure for the selection of a ferry operator. Services provided include the definition of the selection criteria, the drafting of the Request for Proposal and negotiation support. The contract was closed with the Dutch company Aqualiner in June. The service will start 1st of July 2017. The official opening and the inauguration of the vessels are planned for June 30st and will be done by the Alderman for the port Marc van Peel and the CEO of Port of Antwerp Authority, Jacques VanderMeiren.