Water-based Public Transport Accessibility. A Case Study in the Internal Waters of Northern Italy

Accessibility to public transport systems is a key factor for the social inclusion and quality of life of people with disabilities. This paper presents an analysis of the accessibility of the water public transport service run by Navigazione Laghi on lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda in Northern Italy. The study is focused on ‘water buses’, namely small ferries operating on short, scheduled routes, with one or two decks, that do not transport vehicles and that are not equipped with bed cabins. In particular, as a case study, this paper examines a ferry of the series Airone, 24 m passenger-only units built in 2008‒2011. These units are relevant because they represent about 10% of the whole fleet of Navigazione Laghi.