Commuter boat debuts on River Seine

PARIS, June 28, 2008 (AFP) - The River Seine became the newest way to get around Paris on Saturday with the inauguration of a commuter boat service using blue-and-green catamarans that can carry up to 70 passengers.

The Vogueo service features five stops between suburban Maisons-Alfort and Austerlitz train station, in the southeast of the French capital, with single fares set at five euros (7.50 dollars).

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said it was a matter of months before the service -- to be extended to points further into the city -- becomes as much a part of public transport as the Metro and buses.

'We're giving ourselves a year and a half, two years maximum, for there to be a real waterboat service from Val de Marne (southeast of Paris) and the other end of the Seine,' he said.

Commuter boats were commonplace on the River Seine more than a century ago, historians say, but the waterway that cuts through Paris now is best known for large-capacity 'bateaux mouches' catering to tourists.