New Venice Vaporetto Rules
 

Everyone knows the love hate relationship between Venice and the tourists that crowd it. Over 20 million visitors to a city of 55,000, and most of them crowding Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto, making those neighborhoods the worst to stay. In many ways, the cities has been trying to clamp down on tourist behaviors, like making it a crime to feed pigeons in San Marco Square (Pigeons are the cities equivalent of rats. They poo all over the buildings, causing them to rot.). Tourist stand in the middle of narrow bridges, taking selfies with selfie sticks, or sit on the steps of the bridges and eat lunch, blocking things for residents. When I did live near Piazza San Marco I used to live with an old venetian lady who would just shove tourists out of the way, or swat at them if they were blocking her way by walking in large packs at the speed of zombies, blocking narrow alley ways. Just last weekend during Easter there were 300,000 visitors, overwhelming the small city (which is why you don't want to stay near San Marco).

Now, Venice is clamping down on tourists with respect to vaporetti. They are packed, and you find it hard to get on, and there will be no seats, at least except during December and January and February. You have to plan it out to get a nice one. About 7-8 years ago they started Venetian resident only vaporetti. You had to show your residence card, but it failed. Not enough vaporetti, so they had to make too many stops and the residents complained because there were only a few boats.

But the residents still hate the tourists and their behaviors. So starting in June, there will be priority access for venetians, and tourists will have to line up in a different line.
http://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/201...tti-137075653/

"Primi i Veneziani poi i turisti: la rivoluzione dei vaporetti."
First venetians, then tourists: the revolution of the vaporettos.

It's not at all stops, but at the important ones.
"Da giugno accesso prioritario agli imbarcaderi per residenti e pendolari Sperimentazione in otto fermate. Il sindaco: "Così la città sarà più vivibile."
From June, priority access at embarkation points for residents. Pending the same experiment at other vaporetto stops too. Said the mayor, "This way the city will be more livable."

"I turisti seduti con le loro valigie in braccio e noi costretti a restare in piedi".
A resident complained, "Tourists fitted with their luggage in their arms, and we are constricted to stand." The mayor went on to say that this is not fair to a venetian sweating in a factory on Murano, or a mother who needs to pick up her child at a nursery.

Then it says the the challenge will be alienating tourists by making them have to stand on an endless line, because they bring millions of dollars to the city. It also explains that Venice is in trouble with the european commission because it taxes and also charges visitors more than it charges venetians, which is against commission rules. For example, a vaporetto is 1.5 euros for a venetian, and 7.5 for a tourist.

I haven't flown into the airport since January, and also I have a resident card, but I've heard that they already instituted this at the airport, but I'm not sure. Even then it's a problem because a resident card alone won't get you in the priority lane, it has to be a resident gold card, meaning you live in certain areas where the tourist burden literally crushes the experience for everyone, such as around the Rialto Bridge, and I don't have that one because when in Venice I'm in Castello.

I think it's a good compromise IMHO.

I wonder if they will make any allowance for disabled tourists. Without the waterboats, there really is no other way to get around the bridges. They make allowances with 1,50 euro tickets, but if the lines are endless, it really will affect things.

Very good question. I'll try to find out. Venice tries to be accomodating in that regard.

The ACTV office says that they never heard anything about this. I told them it was in the newspaper. They said that they have no control over what the newspaper writes. I asked how I could get more information. They said to call the newspaper. I told them the newspaper already published the story, and they are quoting the mayor as saying this. They said, "We don't know, call the mayor's office." This is typical of Italy. I'll call the mayor's office on Monday when it opens again.

I spoke to the Mayor's secretary. She said she had no idea. I told her it was in the national newspaper, and they quoted the Mayor. She told me to call ACTV, the vaporetto agency. I told her I already did, they said they never heard anything about it, and told me to call the Mayor. The secretary then said she didn't think the Mayor knew, because they haven't work on the details. This is typical Italian bureaucracy in action.

Did you find out about this so far? Any disabled tourists? Is proof of disability is needed (for example, blue handicapped logo) in order to pay the 1.50 euros instead of the 7.50 euros?

Thanks for looking into this Perche. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I haven't done it personally, but from my research, the discounted tickets are limited to wheelchair users, so nonapparent disabilities probably will not qualify. I think the discounted fare is primarily intended to deal with the fact that most bridges are not ramped, so the waterbus is the primary method to permit those who cannot travel past barriers to move from island to island. Europe in general seems to be a bit different from the USA with respect to nonapparent disabilities, so if there were a nonapparent disability that prevented a person from crossing barriers, but the person did not have a wheelchair, I suspect unless you speak excellent Italian to be able to explain it to an inspector it would not work.

I don't think (but am not completely positive) that the wheelchair user needs to show up to buy the ticket -- a nondisabled person can do so, and they may even be sold by the ticket machines. There is no general ticket check when you board. So, the only issue would be if an inspector is on board, in which case I would think the wheelchair itself would serve as proof, but it probably wouldn't hurt to bring your blue handicapped placard.

As for how this new policy, if implemented, will affect the disabled, since Perche's inquiry has led to confusion whether there even is a policy, I suspect that there's no way to know at the moment.

Just tried it today. They won't accept any disabilities unless you have a wheelchair. (I live near Venice and work there).

Thanks. Does the wheelchair user actually need to be there to buy the ticket or just be there to use the ticket?

When I went to the automatic kiosk machine, there was no option to buy the tickets at reduced prices, so we went to the manned booth. The man took a look at my friend and said they don't accept any disabilities except wheelchair users (my friend has a government issued card with the blue handicapped logo on it to prove he has a disability).

But I don't know the answer to your question....so one way to find out is to go to Venice and see what happens. Maybe it depends on the employee on that day. Who knows? Do you live near Venice?

I don't think you can find answers in the usual way. This is Italy. I just spent 20 minutes in the mayor's office. Even though the mayor made the announcement, his secretary said, "this is just an idea, we don't know how it will work." I told her I have two questions, one about whether someone in a wheelchair could skip the longer tourist lines that will start this June, and take the one for residents only. She said, "certainly." I asked how they would get the ticket for only 1.5 euros, just by it on board? She said no, if you buy it on board there is the possibility of a fine for boarding without a ticket. Buy it at the booth. I told her that not all stops have a booth, and when they do, the lines can be almost infinitely long, and then when you get to the machine they don't offer you different price tickets, for foreigners, residents, and residents in the gold zone, and usually there is no person to speak to, just a machine. She said that in Piazzale Roma, where the main booth is, there are people there who can sell the reduced price wheelchair ticket. I told her what about the people who live on the other side of the city? All the time, she kept looking things up in a large binder. No one seems to know the rules.

Then I asked about June, where it was in the newspaper that there will be separate lines for venetians living in the tourist zones, versus venetians living in Castello and foreigners. How does someone in a wheelchair get on? Can they just go to the shorter line? She said, "Of course!" I said, "But they won't have a ticket, can they just buy it on board?" She said, "But then there is the risk of a fine." I said, "So then, do they have to get on the long line for stranieri, foreigners, to buy the ticket, that's a hard thing for someone with a handicap." She said, "Of course not, go to the short line and explain the situation to them." I said that most of the booths at vaporetti stops are not manned. You just get on. There is no one to ask, until you are on board. She really didn't know. She kept saying, "Listen, this is just an idea, to have separate lines for foreigners. We don't know how it will go, or how we are going to do it, so I don't know."

My take on it is, you can't just get on a vaporetto without a ticket. If you do, you'll be fine most of the time. Just like getting on a bus in Rome. The authorities hardly ever come on board and ask to see your ticket. In fact, I've never seen them do it in Rome. But in Venice I've seen it happen enough. I saw a whole tour group of about 20 people get hauled off of a vaporetto because the tour guide couldn't produce a valid ticket for them all. Every now and then they just come on board and demand to see everyone's ticket. But these people are also very nice and human. I'd just get on board and when the guy on the vaporetto is closing the gate, say "I don't have a ticket." You can buy them on board. I think it costs about half a euro or a euro more. It can be better than waiting on a long line. You just have to tell the guy, "I don't have a ticket, and would like to buy one." Half the time, they won't even get around to selling you one before you get to your stop. But, it will keep you from getting fined if the authorities get on board and demand to see tickets.

And when you tell the guy, "I want to buy a ticket, I don't have one," just ask for the handicap discount. If you are in a wheelchair you will definitely only pay a reduced price. In fact, I think it's actually free, but I'm not positive. For less visible disabilities, I think you'd have a tough time getting the reduced price.

It's important to have a plan, because Italy in the summer is a very tough place to enjoy. Especially places like Venice and Florence. Look at these pictures from a week ago. Sure it was a holiday, but it gets much busier than it is on a holiday once you get into May-October. Picture 3 is the line for the vaporetto at the train station. The other pictures are also of vaporetto lines. This is why residents want their own line. The photos also show why Venice and Florence are not the places to visit during the summer. There are far better places to be in Italy at that time of the year. If you have to go to Venice just don't stay near San Marco, Rialto, or the train station. In Castello and parts of Dosoduro and Canareggio it is still sane, even in the summer.
http://foto.ilgazzettino.it/italia/t...ml?idArticolo=

Thank you for all this effort, Perche. It is greatly appreciated.

Those pictures are a bit of a concern. I can see why local residents are angry -- if I had to face crowds like that just to get home from work or to buy some groceries, I would be pretty unhappy.

Wow, Perche...thank you for your effort and trying it out! Yeah, after some time here in Italy, I came to realize that nothing is exactly straightforward, especially when it comes to rules...

Remember that I had mentioned that friend who has a disability? He came here to Venice at the right time because I told him it's better to come during spring, especially after Easter and before summer. The crowds weren't terrible....much much better than what I see in the photos. Fortunately, I finish my teaching in early June so there's no need for me to deal with the crowds and tourists in Venice during the summer. :)

I plan to go elsewhere other than major cities in Italy during the summer. :)

IME, it already works a little differently for wheelchair users. You do buy a discounted ticket for the vaporetto (in our case, my husband and I bought day tickets for the vaporetto at a booth just outside the train station -- I don't recall if my husband received a companion discount).

Once in line for the vaporetto, there is a point (fairly early on) at which the wheelchair passenger (and companion) are shuttered off to a separate waiting area, away from the crowd. This is done for two reasons (IMHO): 1. To avoid the huge crowds, which can be a bit dangerous both to the awaiting wheelchair passenger and to the semi-clueless tourists oohing and ahhing and not paying attention to their immediate surroundings while steeping into and out of the vaporetto. 2. To allow the people working for the vaporetto to assist the wheelchair user to get into the vaporetto and into the designated wheelchair space quickly, before everyone else crowds in, making it possible to board the thing with as little fuss as possible for everyone.

Once on, make sure to advise the captain (?) where your stop is, and remind him before you arrive. Pretty much like on the train.

The new Venice vaporetto rules start tomorrow, where residents wait in a separate area, and get to board first. The question was raised about whether persons with disabilities will be forced to wait in the longer lines for tourists. The mayor's office couldn't answer the question when I asked. It hadn't been decided yet. It has been decided now.

http://www.ilgazzettino.it/nordest/v...i-1792235.html

"Il servizio sarà disponibile gratuitamente per l'utenza abituale, i residenti e gli studenti, nonché per i passeggeri con ridotta o impedita capacità motoria (in carrozzina)."

"The service is available free for frequent users, residents, students, and also passengers with reduced or impaired mobility (wheelchair)."

There will be a separate waiting area for those who qualify, and there will be a hostess to ensure proper use from 7AM to 8PM. This is not at all vaporetto stops. It is considered an experiment, and they are just starting out at Piazzale Roma, Rialto, and Lido, with more stops to be added in the future if it seems to be working out. People are skeptical, because they tried something very similar about 10 years ago, exclusive vaporetti just for residents, and it didn't work out.

That's interesting. I'll keep my eyes out for the changes when I go to Venice this week. Also, I was wondering if a friend who's a tourist can go into the line with me, where I have the VeneziaUnica card?

In going to have to call the Mayors office there and ask about the Venezia Unica card, and whether the gives expedited access. I don't know what the "hostesses" will be checking to let people into the resident access line, but even if the Venezia card allows it, I can't imagine that would allow someone to guest a friend into the line.

Might be worth a try in the future. It doesn't make sense to separate two people who are traveling together. I think the the Venezia unica card (for frequent users, etc) should be allowed in because the high cost of obtaining one might deter tourists from getting one. So it's not like everyone has one, right?

Venezia Unica card will get you in. But there's a turnstile and you have to swipe the card. That won't let a companion get in if they don't have their own card to swipe.

We'll be dong a day trip from Florence to Venice in mid July. Given the long lines at the ticket booth by the train station, perhaps I should buy the 1-day pass online, although I'm not sure how that works, since tickets have to be validated at the machines.

Has anyone purchased vaporetto passes online?

We did for a trip last month. We retrieved our passes at a ticket booth, but there are also machines (not the same as the regular ticket machines) that will dispense pre-purchased passes at some stations. Validating your ticket is by touching your pass card to the reader and waiting for the gate to open.

Thanks.

My concern is with the long lines at ticket booths, especially at train station. The machines that dispense pre-purchased passes may be the way to avoid lines.

Get the pass online and print it out. When you leave the airport you walk out to where the boats, vaporetti are parked. You cannot miss it. Just go out and head left under the covered walk way. When you get to the end there will be a booth. Go to the booth and give the guy what you printed out. He will exchange it for something more like a ticket. Then just get on the boat.

This is really easy, so don't over-think it. Buy the ticket online. Every week later that you do it, it gets more expensive. If you do it at the last minute you might just as well exit the airport and go to the guy in the booth and buy it because it will be full price. And that really doesn't matter because you're only talking about a couple of euros. That's airport to city of Venice. The company is called Alilaguna.

Once you are in Venice the vaporetti are completely distinct. Two different companies, and their tickets cannot be crosswalked. In the city the company is not Alilaguna, it is ACTV. It's an entirely different thing.

You can also buy an ACTV ticket online and take it to the same booth outside and a few hundred yards to the left. The same guy will give you what you need for the Alilaguna ticket to the city, and for the ACTV vaporetto to use once you get into the city. I don't know about the preferred line because I stay out of Venice in the summer, and it just started last Monday, and I have a resident card anyway. The sooner you buy the tickets the cheaper they are. In the city a vaporetto ticket is 7.5 euros. That means that if two people take it somewhere and back they will spend 30 euros, or about $35 just to go somewhere. Getting a ticket for a few days is much better.

And of course, if you are going to Venice for only a few days you might as well not go, because you won't be able to see or do anything.

I just bought the 1-day ACTV vaporetti pass online and printed out the voucher. We're doing a day trip from Florence with friend who have not been to Venice. We were in Venice for 4 days a few years ago and very much enjoyed our stay, so we're willing to brave the crowds and just go for the day.

I just found out that I selected the wrong train station when I bought tickets online. I should have selected Venezia Santa Lucia, but instead selected Venezia Mestre. Oh well, I hope we won't have problem getting off at the wrong station.

It's not that big a deal. At least you didn't rent a hotel in Venezia Mestre. Some people do that, and to their regret, find out that they're not staying in Venice really at all. You have only one more train stop from Venezia Mestre to Santa Lucia. You have two choices. Get out, go to a ticket booth, and buy more tickets for the one more stop. That's confusing. Trains don't all depart from the same track, so you might come in on track 4, then five minutes before the next train comes in, find out you are leaving from track 8. Nothing nice at all about the Mestre train station. So that's one option. Option number 2, just stay on the train. The chances of the conductor coming back, when they already will have gone through your car and punched you ticket, coming back again in the 7-8 minutes before you get from Mestre to Santa Lucia are pretty slim. If they do come, and I can hardly imagine that, throw yourselves at his mercy and tell him you bought the wrong ticket, and didn't know what to do. In the unlikely event you get caught, they'll almost always let you slide. If not, you'll just have to buy a more expensive ticket on the train.