Last year, almost 5.4 million people in Flanders used some kind of ferry service. This figure shows that ferry services play an important role in sustainable mobility, recreation, and local connections across our inland waterways.

For many cyclists and walkers, they provide a fast and practical connection. Flanders has one of Europe’s densest cycling infrastructures, and ferries often act as missing bridges, avoiding detours of 5 to 15 km. They’re also essential for last-mile mobility.

Structural part of mobility

The ferry services on the rivers Scheldt, the Leie, and the Meuse, in particular, are used intensively. The Waterbus in Antwerp also remains an important connection for commuting along the Scheldt. So, it is clear that ferry services are not a niche but a structural part of mobility policy in Flanders.

Most ferry services in Flanders are free and designed especially for cyclists and pedestrians. Cars are usually not allowed on river ferries. Ferries on the Dutch side of the border are not free and charge 1 to 3 euros for cyclists and pedestrians.

The ‘free model’ is mainly a Flemish policy choice and is primarily funded by the Flemish government. It is considered part of mobility policy, cycling infrastructure, and tourism investment. In the Netherlands, the funding is mixed.

Inland ferry tourism

Ferry tourism is extremely popular in Flanders, peaking in summer and during cycling weekends. In the Netherlands, it’s more local, and use is fragmented.

Antwerp has the busiest ferry route in Flanders. Top-performing crossings are Sint-Anna (between the left bank of the Scheldt and the city, about 950,000 users a year), Kruibeke-Hoboken (410,000), and Bazel-Hemiksem (357,000). The Antwerp Waterbus connects Antwerp with suburbs and port areas; it is mainly used for commuting.

Other ferry services in Flanders are the coastal (Ostend and Nieuwpoort) and estuary ferries (Leie and other inland rivers). The latter are often smaller but crucial for cycle route continuity.

Several small but unique ferry services can be found on the river Maas/Meuse, on the Belgium-Netherlands border. They’re seasonal (April-October) and for cyclists and pedestrians only.

Cross-border tourism

Based on available route-level data, we know that the Antwerp region represents the dominant share of ferry use. Coastal ferries have the highest seasonal peaks, and the Waterbus has the most steady commuter base. Inland rivers are moderately used, and the Meuse is most attractive for (cycle) tourism.

Even the smaller ferry connections, such as those on the Meuse, are important for cycling and tourism. They complete cycling networks, enable cross-border tourism, and support regional economies, so policymakers are willing to invest in all of them.

Today, user counts are often still handled manually, but Flanders wants to introduce more modern counting systems to get a more accurate picture of usage.

Flanders also wants to work towards a single, centralized management of all ferry services. This will ensure greater clarity, more efficient organization, and better investment planning for these important connections.