After the winter break, the seven boats of the Brno Transport Company (DPMB) are returning to the surface of the Brno Reservoir this weekend. The 78th sailing season will begin on Saturday, 20 April, with the ceremonial arrival of the captains and a fanfare at the Bystrica wharf. The season will last until 30 October.
“The previous two seasons were record-breaking, so of course we are full of expectations for what this year will be like,” said Miloš Havránek, CEO of DPMB. “The boats are ready to sail after winter servicing, repairs and repainting, so if the weather is in our favour, we are ready to go even further in the number of passengers transported. We invite all our supporters to the Bystrica wharf on Saturday, 20 April, for the start of the season.”
The ceremonial arrival of the captains, the fanfare and the official start of the 78th season will take place this Saturday from 10am at the Bystrc wharf. This will be followed by a boat parade – a short 20-minute boat cruise on the lake, open to the public free of charge. At 10.45am, the first boat will depart for Veverská Bítýška.
Until 10 May, the fleet of DPMB boats will sail only on non-working days, and from 11 May on a daily basis. The boats will switch to weekend operation again at the beginning of October. Due to the autumn holidays, DPMB will carry passengers until 30 October. “Monday, 28 October is a public holiday, after which there are two more days of vacation when we will sail exceptionally. On the afternoon of Wednesday, 30 October, we will close this season and lock the level of the dam,” explained Havránek.
Before this season, DPMB inspected and serviced all boats and completed the restoration of the piers in the Bystrica area, which no longer met the technical requirements. The piers provide overnight berthing for all seven DPMB boats. As of last season, passengers can refresh themselves with a mist shower at the wharf on warm days. New from last year is a large, clear map with information about stops, departure times, and prices.
DPMB also accepts bookings for non-scheduled trips, most often used for corporate events, celebrations, and weddings. Last year, there were 183 such trips, half of them in May and June. In 2023, DPMB boats transported a record of nearly 310,000 passengers.
