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160-180 tickets are sold on a business day. The situation is better on the weekends.
Last Saturday 1,500 passengers arrived, and on Sunday, when it rained, there were only about 800. Last Friday, the Old Ferry was almost empty, with only 40 tickets sold at noon. The situation is expected to improve when the Lithuanian Maritime Museum opens.
The new ferry currently carries an average of about 1,000 cars a day, as construction is underway in Nida, so a large amount of equipment is being lifted in the other direction. On Saturdays and Sundays, their number is reduced to about 500. According to M. Čiakas, under normal conditions, at that time an average of 1,500 cars were moving per day. According to him, if it weren’t for the construction, the situation would be critical.
According to the head of Smiltynės perkėlos, the situation will not improve until he is allowed to move between municipalities. So far, only locals are increasing, who have also declined to work from home. Klaipeda residents who work in Nida also don’t drive.
Smiltynės perkėla is a state-owned company and therefore does not belong to the companies that the Government supports for losses during a pandemic.
“It is good that we closed the Old Ferry in January and February, and we saved about 100,000 euros. We will suffer losses in March. I would very much like it not to exceed 30 thousand. euros. Last year, we closed the Old Ferry on March 11th and only opened in June. Therefore, we handle all costs very well, we end the year with a plus, only 10 percent. we do not comply with the profit plan. In terms of money, we fulfilled the plan, we did not fulfill it only in terms of the number of cars, because the flows changed: we moved more cars and fewer passengers, ”said the head of Smiltynės perkėlos.
According to him, as it will be this year, it is very difficult to speak. If it is already possible to move between municipalities in April, the situation is expected to improve. Last January, Smiltyn’s perkėlai was very good, because there were a lot of stinters. So by closing the Old Ferry fight, the plan had already been exceeded.
“When we closed the ferry last year, we felt brave because we had a great advantage. This year, on the contrary, we have a big problem. This year, there were people who wanted to go to Nida, but could not do so due to the restriction of movement between municipalities. The people of Kelmė and Šilutė kept calling us, the calls didn’t stop, especially on weekends. Because last year there was no ice, and this year there was, ”said the director of Smiltyne Ferry.
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