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Paris tests new bubble-shaped water taxi

Designers hope to run the SeaBubble commercially in the French capital and other cities starting next year.
Designers hope to run the SeaBubble commercially in the French capital and other cities starting next year. Designers hope to run the SeaBubble commercially in the French capital and other cities starting next year.

Paris is testing out a new form of travel: an eco-friendly bubble-shaped taxi that zips along the water.

Organisers are holding test runs on the River Seine this week as the white, oval-shaped electric hydrofoil boats that resemble tiny space shuttles glide past Paris monuments.

They can fit four passengers and, if approved, could be ordered on an app like land taxis, shared bikes and other forms of transport.

The designers hope to run the so-called SeaBubbles commercially in Paris and other cities starting next year.

SeaBubbles
SeaBubbles A SeaBubble water taxi passes through Paris (Francois Mori/AP) (Francois Mori/AP)

Anders Bringdal, SeaBubbles chief executive, said: “The most important for us is no noise, no waves, no pollution. And bring them into cities that are congested.”

He said the water taxi will “not only be fun” but also makes economic sense.

“If you compare a similar size boat with an engine, you are going to run 30, 40, 50 euros an hour in fuel cost when this one costs you 3 dollars or 3 euros,” he said.

Proponents see the vehicle as a new model for the fast-changing landscape of urban mobility.