2.4 Mn Passengers Traveled on BAHART Vessels Last Year

Last year, nearly 2.4 million people traveled on the ships and ferries of Balaton Shipping Co. (BAHART), which is one of the best performances in the last 30 years and exceeds the 2024 traffic data by 53,000, the company told MTI on Friday.

According to their information, the number of passengers choosing passenger ships on Lake Balaton exceeded 900,000, an increase of 4.4% compared to the previous year. The ferry services between Szántód and Tihany carried 1.479 million passengers, 459,000 vehicles, and 145,000 cyclists.

Last year's record traffic was supported by the government's allocation of HUF 6 billion for fleet development in 2024, they added.

Traffic exceeded two million passengers on August 29, with passenger traffic growing every month from June to December compared to a year earlier, and bicycle traffic increasing by 12% to 198,000.

In scheduled passenger shipping, the number of passengers rose by 7% to 665,000. The most popular routes continued to be Fonyód-Badacsony and Siófok-Balatonfüred-Tihany.

The company, founded 180 years ago, is celebrating the year with several special events; the renovated Fonyód port will be completed in the spring, followed by the complete renovation of the marinas.

The passenger shipping season starts on March 28 this year.