Fewer ferry passengers

A total of 717,569 passengers used the Malta-Gozo ferries to cross from one island to the other in the fourth quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said.

The total represents a drop of 3,703 passengers or one per cent over the same period the year before.

On the other hand, the total number of passenger vehicles carried by the ferries increased by 930 to 198,906, a rise of 0.5 per cent. In the quarter under review, 4,517 trips were made between Malta and Gozo, an increase of 253 or six per cent over the same period the year before.

The Malita carried 301,950 passengers or 42.1 per cent of the total passengers in this period.

The other two Gozo Channel ferries, Ta' Pinu and Gaudos carried 220,844 and 194,775 passengers respectively.