On 18 June 2025, Lyon inaugurated Navigône, its first public transport river shuttle. This new service links four emblematic stops along the Saône between Vaise and Confluence. At the crossroads of soft mobility and the promotion of the river in the city, this river line marks a turning point in the urban approach to travel in Lyon. How it works, accessibility, the city’s ambitions and practical information: a look back at a long-awaited launch.

Navigône, river shuttle on the Saône

With just a few days to go before the start of summer, the Saône River in Lyon, a city historically shaped by its meeting with the Rhône, has been given a new lease of life. Navigône, the first river shuttle integrated into Lyon’s TLC¹ transport network, has been carrying hundreds of residents and visitors between the Quai du Commerce and Confluence every day since 2012, following in the wake of the Vaporetto. This innovative project, supported by SYTRAL Mobilités², marks a turning point in Lyon’s urban mobility, focusing on the river as a soft, ecological and attractive means of transport. Here’s a look back at an initiative that is reshaping the map of travel in Lyon.

1 minute video to discover Lyon’s river shuttle /TCL

Background and ambitions: rethinking urban transport

The return of river transport is based on a tradition dating back to the bateaux-mouches of the 19^th century, interrupted in 1913 by the First World War.

Today, this project is part of the city’s Urban Mobility Plan, the Mobility Plan in the making, and the Riverbank Usage Plan (^SURF3) drawn up with Voies Navigables de France.
The aim is to optimise the use of the Saône, by reducing dependence on the car and cutting polluting emissions, while at the same time giving the people of Lyon a peaceful and practical link with the Saône river.
Navigône ‘s objective is threefold:

• To offer an environmentally-friendly transport solution in line with the city’s carbon-neutral ambitions.
• Relieve congestion on saturated roads, particularly between Vaise, Presqu’île and Confluence.
• Enhancing the value of the Saône, a natural and urban heritage, by making it accessible to as many people as possible.

Project and partnership

The project is the result of a collaboration between the Metropole de Lyon, Sytral Mobilités, TCL, RATP Dev, Lyon Yachts and Océa, a shipbuilder. The seven-year public service contract covers the construction, maintenance and operation of the shuttles, with an estimated budget of between €26 million and €53 million.

Around forty TCL staff are on hand to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers on the NAVI 1 line.

Routes and frequency

The line covers approximately 6.2 kilometres between Vaise-Industrie in the 9^th arrondissement and the Confluence district in the 2^nd arrondissement, with a total of four stops and a frequency of every 30 minutes at certain times. The shuttles are accessible to people with reduced mobility (PRM).

Route, stops, connections

• Vaise-Industrie
  On the right bank of the Saône, on the Quai du Commerce, not far from Vaise station.
  Connections: Bus 31 and 43.
  
• Subsistances
  Rive gauche, quai Saint-Vincent, near the Passerelle de l’Homme and the Pont Koenig.
  Connections: Major line C14 and buses 19, 31 and 40.
  
• Terrasses Presqu’île
  Left bank, quai Saint-Antoine, next to the Pont Alphonse Juin bridge
  Connections: Lines C3, C13, C14, C18, buses 27, 31, 40, S1, and S6
  
• Confluence
  In the residential, commercial and administrative district
  Connections: Tramway lines 1 and 2, at the Hôtel de Région

The travel time varies according to the direction of the current:

• From Vaise to the Presqu’île, 23 minutes
• From Vaise to Confluence, 40 minutes

Subscription and pricing

The Navigône service is included in all TCL season tickets. Fares for users are as follows:

• Single ticket €3, one trip with no validity period, return €5, during the day.
• Free for children under 4
• Payment is by CB (contactless), at ATMs and TCL branches.

Maps of the river route

Official map and interactive map to find the stops and route of the river line.

TCL Plan

Map of the Lyon line on the Saône with stops, nearby sites, bridges, footbridges and main connections:

Interactive map

The 4 stops along the Saône in Lyon:

Timetable, NAVI 1 line

Navigône, the NAVI 1 line on the TCL network operates according to the following timetable:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 7am to 9pm
  A shuttle every 30 minutes from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 8pm
  A shuttle every hour outside peak times

• Weekends and public holidays, 9am to 9pm
  Shuttle every hour

• During school holidays, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  A shuttle every 30 minutes from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 8pm
  A shuttle every hour outside peak times

The last trip on the Navigône line in Lyon leaves from Vaise every day at 9pm, all year round.

• TCL timetables

2026: 4 electric shuttles

At the opening of the line, 2 thermal shuttles, including the famous Vaporetto, opened the river dance. In autumn, 2 electric shuttles will take over.
From April 2026, four 100% electric shuttles will guarantee a frequency of 15 minutes at peak times and 30 minutes at other times, doubling the current frequency.

Where to stay in Lyon

Are you looking for a hotel, a rental, a B&B, or other accommodation to sleep during your stay in the capital of Gaul and Greater Lyon? Use the handy map and list to find and book your night or stay :

Travel link

• River shuttles, SYTRAL
• Timetables and traffic information
• The Rhône river and valley
• Where to stay in Lyon?

1. TCL timetables and maps, W.Voyage ↩︎
2. Heading for the Saône with Navigône, Sytral ↩︎
3. riverbank use plan (SURF), VNF ↩︎
4. The TCL river shuttle takes to the water, MET ↩︎