The River Seine became the newest way to get around Paris on Saturday with the inauguration of a commuter boat service using blue-and-green catamarans that can carry up to 70 passengers.

The Vogueo service features five stops between suburban Maisons-Alfort and Austerlitz train station, in the southeast of the French capital, with single fares set at €5.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said it was a matter of months before the service — to be extended to points further into the city — becomes as much a part of public transport as the Metro and buses.

"We're giving ourselves a year and a half, two years maximum, for there to be a real waterboat service from Val de Marne (southeast of Paris) and the other end of the Seine," he said.

Commuter boats were commonplace on the River Seine more than a century ago, historians say, but the waterway that cuts through Paris now is best known for large-capacity "bateaux mouches" catering to tourists.

AFP