The use of the ferry between Valletta, Sliema and Cottonera dipped by almost two-thirds between 2019 and 2021, according to transport statistics published by the NSO on Tuesday.
The ferry between Valletta and Sliema was regularly used by almost a million people each year leading up to 2019, whilst that between Valletta and Cottonera had been gradually growing in popularity, reaching a peak of 570,000 users in 2019.
These figures plummeted during 2020, with COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions bringing the use of public transport to a halt.
The data suggests that while people started to gradually return to public transport in 2021 as vaccination rates increased and pandemic restrictions were eased, the number of ferry users remained remarkably low.
In total, just over 570,000 passengers used the two ferries in 2021, a drop of over 61% from the almost 1.5m users registered in 2019.
The ferry between Valletta and Sliema alone lost over half a million passengers between these two years, while that between Valletta and Cottonera was used by 370,000 fewer people.
It remains to be seen whether passenger numbers reverted to normal throughout 2022, the first full year without pandemic restrictions.
Are the ferries mostly a tourist service?
The reduction in ferry passengers indicates that Malta’s sea transportation network was particularly heavily hit by the drop in tourists throughout the pandemic, raising questions over whether the inner harbour ferry system is functioning primarily as a service for tourists, rather than local commuters.
Transport expert Maria Attard, director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta, thinks that this may be the case.
“We are not exploiting the full potential of the ferries as yet, especially for the commuting modal share. It is evident that a majority share of ferry passengers are tourists and there is a strong possibility that the 2021 numbers are affected by the slow tourist numbers.”
According to Attard, research carried out in 2018 and 2019 shows that the majority of ferry users were tourists and only a little over a third of the population in the Valletta region had ever used the ferry.
Investment 'not as effective' without disincentives on use of cars
Attard described the uptake of alternative modes of transport as “abysmal”, saying that little had changed over the past decade despite the authorities having “done a lot to account for the accessibility challenges of the ferries”.
Transport authorities have attempted to improve the ferry service over the years by revamping ferry terminals, extending running times, and improving connectivity between the two ferries.
She warned that these efforts to change people’s transport choices are set to fail “unless disincentives on the use of the car are introduced”.
Attard pointed to the possible introduction of on-street parking charges, a revision of the CVA pricing structure and improved integration of the various forms of public transport as key steps to encouraging a modal shift.
“This is yet another example of how providing only the carrot (significant investment in ferries and adding more infrastructure) is not as effective unless sticks are added and a comprehensive strategy that integrates various modes is developed.”