RATP Dev, a subsidiary of the RATP Group, has begun operating a new river shuttle service which grows the Lyonnais transport network on behalf of SYTRAL Mobilités, the public transport authority for Greater Lyon. The integration of the Navigône river shuttles in the TCL network allows Greater Lyon’s inhabitants and visitors to make trips via a 6.2 kilometre route along the Saône River from the Industrie district in Vaise to the Confluence district including two stops on the Presqu'île.
RATP Dev is supporting SYTRAL Mobilités in deploying an appealing new mobility solution which is both environmentally friendly and fully integrated into Greater Lyon’s TCL network. SYTRAL Mobilités has awarded RATP Dev the contract to operate and maintain the Navigône river shuttles for a period of seven years from June 2025 with an estimated 560,000 trips per year.
A project bringing environmental and socio-economic benefits
Maritime and river services help turn a geographical constraint into an opportunity for the environment and the community they serve. To support this project, RATP Dev is using not only its expertise in maritime and river shuttles acquired in France since 2018, but also its know-how in projects that respect the environment and are virtuous for the local population.
RATP Dev will operate and maintain four 100% battery-powered electric boats that can accommodate more than 70 people. Navigône will thereby contribute in efforts to decarbonize the Lyon network with the introduction of the electric shuttles from October 2025.
Currently under construction in Les Sables d'Olonne, the four battery-powered electric boats ordered by SYTRAL Mobilités will be delivered in two stages with the first two boats in October 2025, then two more boats in April 2026. In the meantime, the connections will be provided by two boats that have already been transporting passengers on the Saône for more than 10 years: the ‘Vaporetto’ and the ‘Lui’. The RATP Dev / Les Yachts de Lyon consortium, which holds the public service delegation, is in charge of their operation.
The project is also set to bring socio-economic benefits aligned with RATP Dev and SYTRAL Mobilités’ commitments, as reflected by a local and socially-inclusive recruitment strategy for Navigône captains and staff. RATP Dev, via its subsidiary RATP Dev Navette Fluviale de Lyon, will ultimately generate 37 jobs, some of which will be the result of a socially-inclusive recruitment process. Part of an integrated public transport network, this river shuttle service offers a unique working environment for staff in the heart of one of France’s largest cities.
Accelerating the development of a public, multimodal and unified transport network
This new river shuttle service adds to the existing TCL network which features metro, tram, bus, funicular and airport link services. Designed with regional travel habits in mind, the project illustrates RATP Dev's ability to work hand in hand with local authorities to create and deploy tailor-made intermodal mobility solutions.
By combining the RATP Group's Parisian expertise with its French and international expertise, RATP Dev contributes its global track record in operational excellence adapted to regional realities in Greater Lyon. The launch of the Navigône river shuttle service is the most recent transport mode launched in the scope of a contract awarded by SYTRAL Mobilités to RATP Dev to operate and maintain several public transport modes on the TCL network from January 2025 including:
• four metro lines, of which two are automated, 102 metro trains and 44 stations along 70 km of tracks
• seven tramway lines, 107 tramways, and 128 stations along 71 km of tracks
• two funicular railway lines
• the Rhônexpress airport link, comprising 6 trains and 4 stations over 13 km of tracks
• the new Navigône river service
Edouard du Boucheron, Director of RATP Dev Navette Fluviale de Lyon: "Navigône is taking to the sea and is opening a new chapter for sustainable mobility in Lyon today. This new river shuttle service brings an integrated soft mobility solution to the existing network which not only innovates by offering an environmentally friendly mobility option responding to the travel habits of Greater Lyon’s residents and visitors but also contributes to the socio-economic development of the metropolitan area. The outstanding commitment of the RATP Dev teams is evident in the attention paid to every aspect of the project including the technical preparation of the ships, the training of the crews and the organisation of operations.”
Navigône in figures:
• 6.2 kilometre route
• 4 stops
• 40-minute end-to-end ride
• 4 battery-powered 100% electric boats
• 15 km/h navigation speed
• 70+ passengers per boat
• More than 560,000 trips per year