New Eco-vaporetto makes fewer waves
Mar 19, 2010 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit
Just in time for Easter, the ACTV announces the arrival of ten new eco-sustainable vaporetti (water buses). As you can see in the photo, they don’t look much different than the models they’ll be replacing; in fact, they’ll carry the same number of passengers.
The improvements, according to the Ufficio Stampa (Venice press office) are on the inside. They promise added comfort in the form of heating and air-conditioning, and the number of wheelchair spaces has been increased from two to four.
The most welcome news, though, is their eco-friendliness: they implement a new generation of engines that reduce harmful emissions by 30%. The engines are also quieter; the boats are designed to make fewer waves. And according to the announcement, these new vaps cost less to produce than the last generation, always a positive note.
Little by little, the new shiny vaporetti will enter service for Lines 1 and 2 that travel up and down the Grand and Giudecca canals; the first immediately, three in May, three more in September, and the last three in November.
An eco-friendly, air-conditioned vaporetto. Pensa. (Think of that.)
Spring ACTV vaporetto schedule updates
Apr 8, 2009 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit, Instructions for Use
The following is a summary of the principal adjustments in the ACTV vaporetto schedule, in effect as of April 1, 2009.
LINE 2:
Connection with Vallaresso until 8:30 p.m.; with the doubling of the number of trips between Rialto and Valleresso.
LINE 5 direct to Murano from San Zaccaria: from 10.14 until 12.14, and from 13.14 until 16.54, a boat departs every 20 minutes.
Line LN – Laguna Nord, the north lagoon line
- From F.Nove to Treporti and from S.Zaccaria MVE to P.Sabbioni, boats depart every half-hour, with an hourly connection from P.Sabbioni to Burano and vice-versa.
- There is an additional departure from F.Nove for Burano at 8:10.
There is a new Line 15 that runs from direct between Venezia and P.Sabbioni during rush hour.
Line 11
There is now a regular stop at Pellestrina Caroman for ten pairs of courses.
The Fusina line hours have been extended to about 8,30 p.m.
For a two handy schedule documents, download the current ACTV Vaporetto Timetables from the Illustrata Press portable Vap Map web site.
New Vaporetto and IMob Ticketing Machines
Apr 2, 2009 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit, Instructions for Use
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The other night, on the way back from a review of every varitel, DOC and DOCG in Lazio, Abruzzo and Campania (can you actually get a degree in wine?), I walked passed the vap stop at the train station. For some reason, something caught my eye from behind the ticket booth. I wandered toward it, and there it was, the long-overdue prodigal of the Automatic Ticket Machine sitting just inside the station: a ticket machine that issues vaporetto tickets! And iMob passes! And Alilaguna tickets! And Venicecards! And event tickets! And that allows you to both apply for long term pass and print it immediately! It’s a miracle!
Maybe.
I don’t even know if it works. I haven’t seen a press release, or maybe I missed it. I’ve only seen this one machine, and have to say that I immediately started to imagine lines forming around it in summer heat. Will there be more machines, here at the train station, or placed at other stops like Piazzale Roma, San Zaccaria, Rialto, etc.? Does it even work yet?
Stay tuned…Maybe I’ll try it out the next time I top up my imob card. Or, try it out yourself, and let me know what happens (thought maybe I’d get in on the whole crowd-sourcing approach to things).
CartaVenezia in one pass from Piazzale Roma
Mar 19, 2009 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit, Instructions for Use, Worth Noting
If you’re a frequent visitor to Venice, or coming for an extended period of time (even two weeks), you may want to look into obtaining either a CartaVenezia or a Tessera di abbonamento long-term resident transit card.
The cost is €40 if you live outside the Veneto. A CartaVenezia will allow you to purchase any ACTV tickets and passes at the resident rate, including a month’s pass, a carnet of 10 tickets for €10, a single ticket at €1.10 and the traghetto ticket good for a single stop only across the Grand Canal (not to be confused with the private, gondola traghetto, which costs 50 cents). The CartaVenezia is good for three years and can be renewed for €10. The Tessera di Abbonamento is restricted to only the one-month pass (good for the entire calendar month).
Apply at the interior Piazzale Roma office, entering from the street or the fondamenta side. You’ll need your passport; passport photos will be handy but are not necessary, as they can take your picture there at the counter.
Once inside, look for the machine that issues tickets for your place in line, and press the second, red button (imob CARDS REQUEST). Take two numbers spaced a bit apart (one to request and pay for the form, the second to submit the completed one and get your pass).
You’ll request and pay for the form at the winder where your first number is displayed.; step away from the counter to fill it out. You need only complete the top part of the form:
Cognome: last name
Nome: first name
Codice fiscale: leave blank unless you have one
Comune di Nasciata: enter state and country of birth
Data di nascita: birth date in the dd/mm/yyyy format sesso: sex
Indirizzo residenza: residence address, street then no° street number
Località: blank CAP: zip code
Comune: City
Provincia: State
Telefono fisso: land line Telefono cellulare: cell
If you have a working cell phone in Venice, enter the number; if it is not an Italian cell, enter the “+” followed by country code and cell number. likewise if you use your normal home phone numbers.
Keep an eye out for when your second number is displayed and present your completed form at that window. They’ll take your application (and your picture if necessary), enter all the info into the computer, and spit out your pass a few minutes later.
Be sure to request some transit tickets or monthly pass at this time, they can be loaded into your pass as well.
One caveat: As Piazzale Roma is frequently quite busy, it will likely take some time to complete the process; at least when you leave, though, you will have your pass.
NOTE:
You may also apply at the Tronchetto location where there will be many fewer people, but it will be necessary to arrive WITH your passport photo in hand (at least at this writing).
For more info on the CartaVenezia and the tessera di abbonamento option, check actv.it, or call HelloVenezia: +39 041 2424. Just press the option for English and transportation and you’ll get to the person who can answer your questions.
Tags: ACTV, cartavenezia, tessera di abbonamento, vaporetto, vaporetto pass
Venice Vaporetto Fares, 2009
Feb 4, 2009 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit, Instructions for Use
Here’s a brief summary of the public transit fares for navigation (i.e., the vaporetto) posted by the ACTV. Most fares have increased by €2 for 2009. The Youth fare for the three-day pass did not increase.
ATTENZIONE: The fares for Travel Cards (along with a variety of other services) are discounted substantially if you book at least 15 days in advance using VeniceConnected.com, which went online February 1st.
Single Ticket
€6,50 – Single water bus fare may be purchased in advance or on board. This ticket is good for one 60-minute journey on the Venice network (does not include Alilaguna airport transport or the Fusina or Clodia lines). It can be purchased at any ticket booth or on board. Do let the attendent know you need one as you board, to avoid the possibility of a hefty fine.
Unlimited-Use Travel Passes includes one item of luggage per passenger. These passes are valid for a specified number of hours from the time it’s stamped. Good for land, lagoon, and Lido public transport as well.
- €16 – 12 hours
- €18 – 24 hours
- €23- 36 hours
- €28 – 48 hours
- €33 – 72 hours
- €50 – 1 week
- €18 – Three-day Youth card, issued only upon presentation of the Rolling Venice Card (€4, ages 14 – 29), for purchase from any HelloVenezia vendor. See Venicecard.com for complete info.
Conference Card, Student, and organized groups – special requests.
Discounts for groups of various types. Reserved in advance through the offices of HelloVenezia, +39 041 2424. Valid from 1 to 8 days.
CartaVenezia
If you are a frequent visitor to Venice, you might consider the CartaVenezia, or long-term pass. It’s a significant investment if you’re not a resident of Venice or the Veneto (€40), but you can save money in the long term. See the ACTV site for complete information (scroll down to CartaVenezia).
For complete info on transportation and events, see this post, or contact HelloVenezia at +39 041 2424 from 8a to 8p daily (English spoken).
Tags: fares, transportation, vaporetto, venice
Venice is now Connected, ur-rah!
Feb 1, 2009 ACTV, vaporetto, & city transit, Instructions for Use, Worth Noting
If this works, it could be a very good thing.
Active as of today, VeniceConnected.com guarantees you lower prices for a variety of venues and services (along with avoiding having to stand in line to buy them) if you book through their site. You must make your purchase at least 15 days in advance, but low, medium, and high visitation periods are colorfully indicated on the calendar you’ll use in the booking process, so you can determine when your savings will be greatest.
At the moment, you can reserve parking, purchase public transport passes (from 12 hours to 7 days, good for ACTV vaporetto & land buses), Alilaguna airport transfers, museum passes, paid toilet services by the day or the week. Wi-fi access (city-wide availability due mid-year!) and Casinò entrance are included with any other purchases.
I’ve created a VeniceConnected article with more info, usage instructions, and some screen shots. If you use the site, do come back and post your experience with it.
Incrociamo le dita…
Tags: museums, transportation, vaporetto, venice, veniceconnected
