Namur cable car to ferry children to school from September

Children in Namur will travel to and from school by cable car from this September, as the city’s newly inaugurated service is set to extend its operating hours to cater for more than just tourists.

The cable car service opened earlier this month – and will be extended to cover school hours in order to help ease traffic flow and increase air quality in the city center during rush hour.

Making the cable car more than just a tourist attraction but also an additional element of Namur’s public mobility network was the city’s aim from the beginning but the question of how the two uses would be financed had to be resolved.

"The regional authorities indicated to us that even though there is only one operating company, the extension of services must be proposed with a distinct public tender,” said mayor Maxime Prévot.

“This may seem paradoxical since there is only one possible operator, but it is the same procedure that is used for purchasing art works.”

The call for tenders will be offered in the coming weeks so that the extended service (7.30 to 18.30, instead of 10.00-17;00) can start in September in time for the school term.

"For the tourism component, the annual endowment will not change. For the mobility component, the provider will be compensated for the cost of personnel and the impact of this use on the amortisation and maintenance of equipment,” the mayor added.

The net cost for the city is between €150,000 and €200,000, according estimates. “The agreement will be valid for two years, the time to verify if this mode of urban transport corresponds to a real demand.”