Last year, nearly 2.4 million people traveled on the ships and ferries of Balaton Shipping Company (BAHART), that is the best performance in almost 30 years and exceeds the 2024 traffic data by 53,000, the company revealed.
The number of passengers choosing passenger ships exceeded 900,000, an increase of 4.4 percent 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 (EUR 15.7 million) for fleet development in 2024, the company added.
Traffic exceeded two million passengers on August 29, and from June to December, passenger traffic increased every month compared to a year earlier, with bicycle traffic growing by 12 percent to 198,000.
The “Tomaj” catamaran. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
In scheduled passenger boating, the number of passengers rose by 7 percent to 665,000.
The most popular routes continued to be Fonyód-Badacsony and Siófok-Balatonfüred-Tihany.
The catamarans named “Füred” and “Tomaj” stood out in the fleet, while the “Helka” and “Kelén” ships were the most popular among the sightseeing and nostalgia cruises.
Photo: Hungary Today
The announcement highlighted that one of the important achievements of the year was the successful introduction of the new discount system:
thanks to the extra family discounts, the number of passengers traveling with family tickets more than doubled, reaching 170,000.
In addition, the proportion of online and automated ticket purchases increased: on passenger ships, it was over 20 percent, and on the themed cruises, the proportion of advance online tickets was over 50 percent.
The ferry decorated with festive lights, attracted 4 percent more passengers in the fall and winter than in the same period last year, and in the first half of January, 40 percent more passengers traveled on ferries than a year earlier, they added.
Ferry decorated with festive lights on Lake Balaton in December 2025.Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
Ferry decorated with festive lights in Szántód (southern shore of Lake Balaton). Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
BAHART is starting the year with unchanged ticket prices.
Children under 14, pensioners, people over 65, and large families can continue to travel on ferries free of charge, while young people between 14 and 25 can purchase half-price tickets. Families and cyclists can take advantage of discounted fares on ferries and passenger boats, and from March, the discounts available on BAHART cards purchased by regular travelers will be expanded, offering savings of up to 20 percent.
The company, founded 180 years ago, is celebrating the year with several special events: the renovated port of Fonyód will be completed in the spring, followed by the complete renovation of the marinas.
The passenger boating season will start on March 28 this year, the company revealed.
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Via MTI, Featured image: Hungary Today
The post Balaton Shipping Company Breaks Nearly 30-Year Passenger Record appeared first on Hungary Today.
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