In 1998, just before the Universal Exhibition of Lisbon (Expo 98), the Vasco da Gama bridge opened to the public and made for a swift journey between the southeast Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the city centre. At the same time, the old Ferryboats that took one hour to cross the Tagus were replaced by Catamaran-Ferries that take only 25 minutes. Both the bridge and the Catamarans represent a big change for the southeast river bank commuters and, most importantly, for their neighbourhoods. This paper builds on initial empirical work conducted for the research project “LOCALWAYS - Ways of local sustainability: mobility, social capital and inequality” (2013-2015 PTDC/ATP-EUR/5023/2012). In addition to an extensive sociological survey and qualitative household interviews, this project includes ethnographic incursions on commuting. One of the project’s case studies is the Ferryboat Route from the South Bank of the Tagus to Lisbon’s center. The aim of this paper is to present the mobility practices of this specific way of commuting against the backdrop of the economic crisis straining Southern European countries. Metropolitan areas in medium and global cities imply a great diversity of fluxes. On the one hand, we need to know more about who are these other users beyond workers. On the other, we need to know more about these suburban areas commonly addressed as dormitories. The urban ethnography that I will depict helps explore both. This paper illustrates a specific situation concerning the access to the city and, in that sense, helps us to understand the limits and potentialities of suburban mobility, in its social and physical dimensions.

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Public Transports, Mobility