Amphibious bus in budapest. Floating sightseeing bus in germany Where can I buy tickets
Next year, the capital intends to purchase five tourist amphibious buses that will dive from the road into the river directly with passengers.
According to the draft city budget for 2019, published on the website of the Moscow City Duma, the city carrier Mosgortrans is supposed to receive a subsidy for the purchase of amphibious buses in the amount of 350 million rubles, and then pay 50 million annually for their maintenance.
Sounds fantastic, but for many cities in the world floating buses have been a reality for several years now. For example, they ride and dive in the American San Francisco, the Hungarian Budapest, the German Hamburg, the Dutch Amsterdam. Their upper part is like that of an ordinary bus, and the lower part is like that of a boat, with a sloping bottom.
Several amphibious vehicles are being made in Russia, mainly for the needs of the military or rescuers, but the production of buses has not yet reached the point. For the Germans, a bus developed on the MAN chassis rides and swims, for the Americans such transport is produced by CAMI - Cool Amphibious Manufactures International - "Cool International Amphibian Production". The price of the bus is from 650 thousand dollars, or about 35 million rubles at the current rate. Not so expensive - for comparison, a regular domestic-made regular bus costs about 12-14 million rubles.
As RG was informed in the press service of Mosgortrans, at the first stage it is planned to purchase five amphibious buses. "We hope that Russian manufacturers will also take part in the competitions, and this project will become an impetus for the development of new rolling stock in our country," Mosgortrans said.
Amphibious buses are already carrying passengers in San Francisco, Budapest, Hungary, Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam, Holland.
Obviously, it will be necessary to work out the optimal routes, as well as build descents into the water and exits from which the bus will be able to return to the road.
The question immediately arises - why does Moscow need such buses? Mikhail Blinkin, director of the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told RG:
Moscow Mayor Sergei Semenovich Sobyanin has an idea to try out the entire arsenal transport systems that exist in the world. So Moscow was the first in the world to make not a sports, but a passenger cable car leading to Luzhniki. A concession agreement is also being worked out on the construction of a cable car from the Skhodnenskaya metro station to the Rechnoy Vokzal station and its integration into the urban passenger transport. The city authorities are developing river transportation of passengers, and have recently announced their intention to launch a regular river route from Nizhniye Mnevniki to the Kyiv railway station. And now another novelty is next in line - an amphibious bus. It is clear that both the cable car, and the river tram, and the floating bus will be in demand only in a secondary segment of the transport services market. But if, say, a resident of the Nagatinsky backwater has the opportunity to come home not underground, but by water, who will feel bad about this? Moreover, the budget of Moscow allows the capital such expenses.
Urbanist Arkady Gershman also expressed his point of view:
The idea is interesting, but it is completely incomprehensible why these expenses should be covered by the city budget, and not by business? In his opinion, amphibious buses have nothing to do with public transport, they are more of a tourist attraction.
But the authorities do not hide the fact that they buy buses specifically for tourists. Moreover, their flow to Moscow is growing now more than ever: if 21 million tourists visited the Russian capital in 2017, then the forecast for 2018 is 30 million. showers - in recent years, due to problems with storm sewers, such deep puddles have repeatedly formed in the capital that cars stalled in them. Irony is irony, but meanwhile in France these days a three-month rainfall has fallen and the streets of settlements have turned into raging rivers. 13 people died. And if such amphibians were there, they might have saved someone.
On the routes of amphibious buses, it is necessary to build descents into the water and exits to the roads. A photo: GettyImages
If you find yourself in the capital of Hungary, take the opportunity and buy a sightseeing tour on a water bus. There are only two such amphibians in Europe - one in Budapest, the second in Rotterdam.What is the phenomenon of this tourist transport?
In one trip you will see Budapest from land and water. The boat-bus keeps its way along the roads of the city and along the Danube. Thus, without getting off the bus, you will receive both a sightseeing tour and a river cruise.
Water bus route
Please note that this bus is not a hop on hop off, that is, it goes non-stop.
Before diving (that's right) into the river, the amphibious bus will pass part of the route overland, along the roads of Budapest. The beginning of the movement from Szechenyi Istvana Square (former Roosevelt Square), from the building of the Academy of Sciences of Hungary and further along the street. Academy - st. Garibaldi - st. Nador - st. Jozsef Attila and exit to the small ring road.
You will pass by the Synagogue, head along Andrássy Avenue to the Heroes' Square. The route will pass near the Opera House, you will hear about Oktogon, Kodály Square, the past and present of Andrássy Avenue.
Turning onto Ave. Doža György, you will continue your journey towards the Danube and along the way you will learn some interesting facts about the zoo, as well as about the amphibious bus.
This is followed by the most spectacular part of the trip - the bus will enter the waters of the Danube with acceleration. Already from the water, you will see the Parliament, sail past Margaret Island, get to know the Buda Castle, the Chain Bridge and, of course, the Danube itself.
On the way back, the most attentive passengers, having correctly answered questions about the amphibian, will receive memorable prizes. Departure on land to the final stop pl. The section will take place along the lower embankment.
The itinerary of the amphibious bus may be changed in the event of a traffic closure or a strong rise in the water level in the river.
List of points on the route
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- St Stephen's Basilica
- Great Synagogue
- Opera theatre
- Heroes Square
- Launching
- chain bridge
- Parliament
- Citadel
- buda castle
River Ride Amphibious Bus Q&A
What languages are available during the tour? The amphibious bus has an English-speaking live guide and audio guides in 12 languages, including Russian. Is there a toilet? There is no toilet on board. Please be prepared for this.
How many minutes before departure does boarding start? You can enter with a ticket 15 minutes before the start of the movement. Are seat reservations available on the bus-boat? Seats are taken on a first come, first serve basis and no reservations are made. Do children occupy a separate chair or sit on the laps of adults? The amphibious bus seats 43 people (excluding River Ride employees). All passengers are provided with a separate seat.
Have a good trip!
Passenger amphibians. Moscow buses will leave for the water
The Moscow authorities will acquire amphibious buses in 2019, which will carry people not only through the streets of the city, but also through water bodies, acting as a pleasure boat. 350 million rubles will be allocated from the city budget for five vehicles, and subsequently another 50 million will be spent annually on their maintenance. In which countries such buses already exist and why does Moscow need mechanical “ichthyanders”, “360” understood.
Moscow is not the first city where amphibious buses will appear. They have been operated in Stockholm since April 2017. The ten-ton Ocean Bus moves on land, and then continues on the water. The project was conceived back in 2013, and launched on the route in the past - it took time to implement the idea and ensure safety.
The same sightseeing buses are in Germany, Hungary and the UK. The amphibious bus has proven itself well in the UAE, England, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Bermuda. And the very first was launched in San Francisco 10 years ago.
Here is an American version of an amphibious bus called Hydra-Terra, developed by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International (CAMI). This yellow "clown" looks rather ridiculous.
The Singapore counterpart is called DUCKtours. It looks just as strange as its US counterpart. Outwardly, DUCKtours was made as similar as possible to a duck. The bus route starts on the city embankments, and then continues along the river and the sea bay for half an hour. The ticket costs 37 dollars (2429 rubles) for adults and 27 (1772 rubles) for children over three years old.
Photo source: jc/FlickrIn Russia, amphibious vehicles have been produced for a long time, but they are intended for the needs of the military or rescuers. First floating tourist bus in Moscow decided to launch in 2019. According to preliminary estimates, its cost will be about 35 million rubles per unit. For comparison: regular domestic-made scheduled transport costs about 12-14 million rubles. Of course, he can't swim.
In total, it is planned to purchase five amphibious buses. But important issues remain the route and implementation of the project, because so far there is no exit for ground vehicles to the Moscow River. Luckily.
Why does Moscow need amphibious buses?
The transport infrastructure of Moscow is absorbing more and more new trends. First, electric buses appeared: on September 1, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, took a ride on one, however, it ran out of battery or broke down after passing several stops. On the roads of the city on Knowledge Day, 30 electric buses were supposed to leave, but only one did it. A month and a half later, this ecological transport. But the authorities do not abandon the idea, assuring that they plan to buy 300, and then 800 electric buses a year. At the same time, such an instance is about three times more expensive than a conventional diesel one.
360 found out from transport and tourism experts how good the idea is to put amphibious buses on the roads and how this will affect the tourism industry.
Advisor to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency for transport, head of the transport committee of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Dmitry Gorin, in a conversation with 360, supported the idea. According to him, this will help organize new types of excursions.
We must start from the fact that Moscow is a popular city for both foreign and Russian tourists. Every year, a huge number of tourists come to various events, including events, and, of course, the development of tourism infrastructure, the possibility of organizing new types of excursions is always positive. Taking into account the global nature of Moscow's tourism projects
Dmitry Gorinadviser to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency for transport.
Irina Irbitskaya, director of the RANEPA Center for Urban Planning Competences, explained to 360 that any solutions in the field of “hospitality infrastructure” should be considered.
“Transport is one of the key tools. If these are routes that affect not only well-known Moscow historical sites, but also natural tracts, then, of course, this will add popularity to the city,” Irbitskaya said.
General Director of the travel company DSBW Karen Goncharov also spoke in favor. In a conversation with 360, Goncharov agreed that any creative ideas will have a good effect on the tourist flow.
Interesting idea. The more such cool, unusual, unexpected ideas, the more informational reasons there will be for tourists to come to the capital of Russia. Any such creative ideas are good. In addition, of course, it is necessary to develop a network of routes on open-top buses, which now travel in Moscow
Karen Goncharov DSBW CEO
According to Goncharov, there is no serial production of such vehicles, since amphibious buses belong to the section of special equipment, which is assembled by workshops rather than large factories.
“This is from a series of special equipment. Special equipment is usually remade by some semi-masters. Suppose a Mercedes plant produces a Mercedes chassis, and then at one small enterprise they make a minibus out of it, at another - an armored car for transporting money. Specialized enterprises are engaged in this [production]," the DSBW CEO explained.
The plans of the Department of Transport of the capital also include the purchase of 10 icebreaking class river trams, which will go on the route Nizhniye Mnevniki - Kyiv railway station. The purchase and maintenance of ships will cost the budget 820 million rubles in 2019, and 515 million rubles annually in 2020-2021.
The capital of the Netherlands Amsterdam is one of the most popular tourist cities in Europe. Home distinctive feature Amsterdam are its numerous canals, along the banks of which there are many beautiful sights. The famous Amsterdam amphibious bus "Floating Dutchman" offers a unique journey through the streets and water channels of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a city on the water, it is no coincidence that it received the status of the Venice of the North. In total, there are more than 160 water channels in Amsterdam with a length of about one hundred kilometers. Amsterdam stands on 90 islands connected by more than 1,500 bridges of various designs and sizes. Water channels encircle the Old Town area in four semicircles.
For local residents, water channels perfectly replace ordinary car roads. But you can quickly get from Kyiv to Odessa by bus according to the schedule //busfor.ua/buses/Kiev/Odessa. through the canals of Amsterdam are very popular with tourists, because this is how you can see all the most interesting things of this beautiful city on the water.
The excursion route on the unique amphibious bus "Floating Dutchman" has become a special tourist highlight of Amsterdam. This unusual environmentally friendly vehicle is a hybrid of a boat and a bus with an electric motor - Amphibus. He feels great both on land and on water.
The duration of the excursion on the "Floating Dutchman" is about two hours, of which 45 minutes pass through the water channels of Amsterdam. The start of the route is near the Van Gogh cafe near the Central Station. In the area of the Nemo Science Center, the amphibious bus drives into the water at a special exit - here the most interesting, water part of the excursion begins.
During the excursion on the "Floating Dutchman", tourists can see the most interesting sights of Amsterdam both from land and from water. Throughout the trip, the guide will tell you about the history of the city and all the sights that the amphibus passes by. The building of the city hall is the turning point of the excursion - here the "Floating Dutchman" turns around and follows the place where its trip started, but by a different route.
Amsterdam excursion "The Floating Dutchman" is open all year round every day except Monday. This is a great opportunity to take an educational tour of Amsterdam and get to know the best sights of one of the most interesting cities in Europe.
Scottish designer George Smith worked for six years to create a bus that could equally move on asphalt and on water. And now, finally, his work is completed. The world's first amphibious bus was created and put into operation.
Outwardly, this unusual transport is not much different from ordinary buses plowing the roads around the world. That's just it has an outboard boat engine and a hermetic cabin, which allow it to move not only on roads, but also on water. Max speed of this amphibious bus in the aquatic environment is 15 kilometers per hour.
This amphibious bus is intended primarily for tourist purposes. After all, it's so wonderful! A bus with tourists drives through the streets of the city, the guide talks about one outstanding object, then about another, and then the vehicle turns into the water. No traffic jams, excellent overview of coastal attractions, a lot of delight among tourists.
The bus has fifty seats, each with air conditioning and LCD DVD player. In addition, the bus has a dry closet.
The first such amphibious tourist bus entered the route a few months ago in San Francisco. A few days ago, the first amphibious bus in Europe appeared in Budapest. The cost of the excursion tour on the latter is 27 euros for adult tourists and 20 for children from 6 to 14 years old.
Despite the high cost of these unusual buses (it is 416 thousand dollars), the Italian company AmphiCoach, which manufactures them, has already received 30 orders.
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