Vaporetto

The vaporetto is a Venetian public waterbus. There are 19 scheduled lines[1] that serve locales within Venice, and travel between Venice and nearby islands, such as Murano, Burano, and Lido.

Vaporetto on the Canal Grande in Venice.

Venice Vaporetto water bus system – water bus and bus stop

The name, vaporetto, could be translated as "little steamer", and refers to similarly purposed ships in the past that were run by steam. Venetians call the vaporetto "un batèlo" or "un vaporino". The waterbus line is operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV), the Venetian public transport system. The vaporetto is necessary in Venice as an underground railway would be impracticable and there is no space for overground trains, leaving the canals as the only viable rapid transport system. Most vaporetti have disability access.

Three vaporetti carrying passengers

It has 24-hour scheduled service, with frequency varying by the line. Line 1 serves the Grand Canal. Several lines are limited to the summer season, April to October.[2]

ACTV sells 24, 36, 48 and 72-hour passes as well as single-journey tickets and 7-day passes.[3] The private express company Alilaguna also operates a limited water bus service, to the airport for example. Its boats include one that is a hybrid electric/diesel) as of 2022 and are not technically considered to be vaporetti.[4]

The first vaporetto appeared in 1881, in competition with gondoliers and hotel boatmen. The subsequent debate that arose about the first few vaporettos helped shaped their role as "Venetian buses", as well as benefiting the gondoliers continue into the present day as the only ones with access into the smaller waterways.[5]