In november 1998 a new public transport system has been introduced in the 'Drecht Cities' Zwijndrecht, Papendrecht, Sliedrecht, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Alblasserdam, Dordrecht and Ridderkerk. There are fast boats between these cities and a very fast hydrofoil connection between Rotterdam, Ridderkerk and Dordrecht. The architects ZJA designed the wharves for these 'boat-buses'.

The city of Ridderkerk wants to promote this new system of public transportation and asked the architects ZJA to design a so called 'Transferium' at the local embarkation point.

The goal of a 'Transferium' lies in convincing drivers to park their cars there and use public transport to reach their destination in the city. Traffic jams are prevented this way. To reach that aim, a Transferium has to have a high level of comfort. This iss why the design provides among others a large car park and a covered walkway to the heated waiting area. To shorten the waiting time and to make it more pleasant, there are some restaurant facilities.