Clogged Paris Puts ‘Buses’ on River

The city of Paris launched its first “river-bus” service on the Seine in more than 50 years today, one of a series of steps to ease the capital’s traffic jams.

The first of nine river-buses that will shuttle daily along the Seine sailed from the foot of the Eiffel Tower headed for its up-river terminus at Town Hall. The boats, scheduled to run every 45 minutes with up to 150 people on board, will stop at three newly built docks on the way: at the Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral.

While thousands of tourists already cruise on the river’s sightseeing ferries, the new shuttle service will be the first experiment in river transport for Parisians since 1934, when regular ferries were scrapped.