Uber launches free one-hour cruises on Seine this summer
The service comes ahead of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony taking place on the river later this month
The Uber Cruise service on the Seine comes after Uber Boat launched trips on the Thames in London
Roger Utting/Shutterstock
Ride-sharing app Uber is now offering free one-hour cruises along the Seine, in a move that mirrors the imminent river-way Opening Ceremony.
The private boat journeys are being offered in partnership with Paris-based boat rental platform Click & Boat, and have been in operation since Friday, July 12.
The campaign will only run until next Friday (July 19) initially. It will then restart after the Olympics Opening Ceremony (which will take place on July 26), and last until August 3.
Each boat can accommodate up to 12 people, and begins at the Pont Marie in the 4th arrondissement. The one-hour ride takes in views of some of the capital’s most famous monuments, including the Pont des Invalides bridge, Notre-Dame cathedral, the Louvre museum, and the Eiffel Tower.
The boats are 100% electric, and have their own skipper to ‘drive’ them, so passengers do not need to have any navigational skills to ride.
And yes, the journeys really are free. Uber - using the name ‘Uber Cruises’ - is running the initiative to increase brand visibility and tie in with the Olympic Games, as well as to promote its campaign for more eco-friendly journeys.
Users can reserve a slot on their Uber app, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
‘Privileged’ journey
“The boat allows us to appreciate everything that is around us, at the speed of an electric boat, 10 km/h; and for the 15 million people who will visit Paris during the Games, all the [Uber] users will be able to benefit from this travel method that respects the environment,” said Bastien Rambert, head of the project at Click & Boat, to BFMTV.
“It’s really about promoting sustainable development, and what is great is that you feel like it’s private… with just 12 people per boat, you feel privileged.”
“It really is a privilege to have such intimate, small boats,” said Click & Boat skipper Konogan. “And to discover Paris from a completely different angle.
“We are not tourist guides, but people can ask us what things are, and because we do the journey several times a day, we obviously know some good anecdotes about the Paris monuments,” he said.
The Olympics Opening Ceremony will take place on July 26, and will see the athletes travel down the Seine, in what organisers are hoping will be a refreshing and bold contrast to the typical in-stadium parade seen as most other Olympic events.
Read also: Paris Olympics: Plan B for opening outlined in case of major threat
Uber Boat across Europe
The Uber Cruises initiative comes after Uber began to operate an ‘Uber Boat’ service - in partnership with boat operator Thames Clippers - on the Thames in London, with daily journeys from Barking Riverside Pier in the east, and Putney Pier in the west.
These journeys can be reserved and paid for via the Uber app, the Thames Clippers app, by contactless card, by online PDF, or by using the capital’s Oyster card. In contrast to this summer’s Paris journeys they are not free.
Uber Boat has also launched an ‘Uber Yacht’ service, which is offering boat journeys across Europe.
These include daily eight-hour yacht trips for eight people in Ibiza (from €1,600), as well as ‘Limo Boats’ around Venice. These are available on demand from 08:00 to 22:00 every day, and cost from €120 per trip, for up to six people.
Uber Boat is also set to offer boat rides in Greece in hotspots including Mykonos, Athens, Corfu, and Santorini, again all available to book via its app.
