THE Govan Ferry in Glasgow has been axed – less than two years after it was relaunched.
Its operator, Clyde Marine, has admitted the historic cross-river service was not paying its way and had suffered whole days without a single paying passenger last year.
The company, however, will carry out three crossings a day between Govan and Yorkhill Quay, home of Glasgow's Riverside Museum, this summer as part of the firm's river cruises.
The much-reduced service is a huge blow for politicians and tourism bosses. It is also a setback to the city council, which spent £300,000 to build a new pontoon pier at Govan to facilitate the crossing.
A spokesman for the council said: "Ultimately, this is a commercial decision for the operator but, obviously, we would like to see as many people as possible able to enjoy the crossing."
Hamish Munro, the company's boss, said: "The year after the Riverside Museum opened, passenger numbers collapsed. On several days we had no passengers at all. Given the current economic climate and summer weather trends of past years, the service could not be sustained at previous levels."
The original Govan ferry ran for 230 years until 1966.
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