History of the estuary motorboats ferries
The need to allow large ships to sail into the centre of Bilbao made connecting the two sides of the estuary quite difficult, and this problem was only partially solved by building complex bridges.
There are announcements for rowboats taking people from one side of the Nervión-Ibaizabal estuary to the other dating back to the 15th century.
A bit of history
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The estuary has been the lifeblood of Greater Bilbao for centuries. The need to allow large ships to sail into the centre of Bilbao made connecting the two sides of the estuary quite difficult, and this problem was only partially solved by building complex bridges. To resolve this issue, both sides of the estuary had small boats, first rowboats and then, starting in the early 20th century, motorboats – or gasolinos.
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In fact, there are announcements for rowboats taking people from one side of the Nervión-Ibaizabal estuary to the other dating back to the 15th century. At that time, and in subsequent times, it was a service awarded via public tender and governed by municipal ordinances. Among other things, they were obligated to ensure that no more than half an hour passed between services and drivers were required to be polite and friendly with passengers.
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Since the mid-19th century, with the arrival en masse of families attracted by the booming industry in the area, towns around the estuary multiplied in size, increasing the need and demand for new transport infrastructure. So, while new bridges, rail lines, tram lines, roads, etc. were built, the ferries played a fundamental role in transporting workers to factories.
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They were privately-owned vessels, first quite small ones powered by rowers. In fact, if someone offered to row the boat from one side to the other, they didn't have to pay their ticket. Subsequently, when engines replaced oars, these boats were referred to as ‘gasolineros’.
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The building of modern infrastructure, widespread use of the car and industrial downturn caused the traffic of these ferries to drop considerably. Of the more than one dozen that crossed the estuary regularly in the 1970s, there are currently only two regularly running lines: the one between Urban-Barakaldo and Erandio and the one between Portugalete and Las Arenas in Getxo.