Tender for Public River Transport in Belgrade Published – City Also Looking for Partner for Public Bicycle System

The Secretariat for Public Transport of the City of Belgrade today published the public invitation for a private partner for the service of providing public river transport in Belgrade.

The procurement is carried out in an open procedure, and the criterion for the awarding of the agreement is the price.

The agreement is signed for a period of 30 years. Bids may be submitted by February 21, 2022.

The deputy mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesic, stated that the project of river public transport had been in development for three years and reminded that at the previous session of the City Assembly, decisions had been made aiming to enable the beginning of the realization of that job.

– We also got the approval of the competent commission of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for all of the above. At the contest we have published now, we are looking for a partner that will carry out river public transport on two lines. The plan is for the public river transport to be carried out with a total of 10 boats – two in the first year, another four in the second and third ones each, and there will be a spare boat too. We will have a “red” and a “blue” line, which will be expanded in three phases. In the first phase, the “blue” line will go from Block 70 to Ada Ciganlija, “Galerija” shopping center and Branko’s Bridge, whereas, in the second phase, it will go from Block 45. In the third phase, after Branko’s Bridge, it will go to “Beton Hala” and the Sports and Recreation Center “Milan Gale Muskatirovic” – said Vesic.

According to him, the “red” line in the first phase will go from the Zemun Wharf to the Sports and Recreation Center “Milan Gale Muskatirovic”.

– In the second phase, it will encompass Borca – the left coast of the Danube, whereas, in the third phase, it will go to Ada Huja – he added.

He also said that Belgrade was the only European city with such a large body of water that doesn’t use its rivers for public transport.

– River transport is quick and efficient, the fare will not be charged for specially, instead, the same cards that are valid for buses, trams and other public transport vehicles will be used. The advantage of river transport is primarily in its speed, because it doesn’t interfere with other forms of transport, and the other advantage is ecological, because the number of buses on the streets will be reduced – Vesic said.

According to him, in the next period, before the selection of the partner, the city will prepare the terminals, which are already set.

– Each will have a stand, like the stands for other forms of public transport with fare validators. We are currently also reorganizing other forms of transport, so that there would be a connection for those traveling by boat who want to continue traveling around the city. This is a big thing for Belgrade and I believe that a large number of our fellow citizens will use this form of transport – emphasized the deputy mayor, as reported by Beoinfo.

The Secretariat for Transport of the City of Belgrade also published the public invitation for bids for the procedure of awarding the concession for the management of the public bicycle system in the city’s territory.

According to the public invitation, the subject of the concession is the provision of public areas owned by the city to the concessionaire for the purpose of financing, installing stations, procuring bicycles and equipment and introduction of a public bicycle system, while paying the concession fee.

The concession period is 15 years, and bids may be submitted by March 1, 2022.

– We are looking for a partner that will install 150 public bicycle stations, where we will have around 1,500 public bicycles. We will thereby enable the citizens of Belgrade to use the system of public bicycles, as is the case in other major cities of the world. We are also building around 500 kilometers of new bicycle lanes in the next four years, because, if we have a public bicycle system, we need to provide people with the infrastructure, so that they would use public bicycles. We have already done some things toward it. In public garages, there’s the possibility for everyone who parks a car to get four bicycles for themselves and their family. That option is used a lot at the garage in Obilicev Venac and in Ada Ciganlija in the summer. However, a true system of public bicycles, which entails the existence of stations throughout the city, is something we don’t have yet. I hope, because the tender has failed twice so far, that now we will successfully find a partner for this project – Vesic said.

Grad Beograd

Sekretarijat za javni prevoz Beograd

Sekretarijat za saobraćaj Beograd

City of Belgrade

Secretariat for Public Transport

Secretariat for Transport

public river transport

public bicycle system

private partner