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Residents-Only Service on the Grand Canal in Venice

by Catherine Bodry (RSS feed) on Oct 17th 2007 at 11:29AM

Venice has just 60,000 residents, but hosts 20 million visitors in a year. That's a lot of tourists for a small population, and the city is beginning to feel a little crowded for its citizens. Vaporettos (water taxis) on Venice's Grand Canal are just getting too cramped for the city's residents, and an abundance of private boats are creating waves that weaken building foundations. So Venetians, those same locals who fine tourists who don't follow the rules and who jack up prices for rude tourists, have solved the crowding problem by starting a locals-only service.

The water taxi, Line 3, will run from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco on the palace-lined waterway. The cost for residents is 1 euro (or $1.42), compared to the 6 euros tourists pay for their water taxi -- even polite tourists.

[via Reuters]

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Europe, Italy, Transportation

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