June the 21st, 2022 - Croatian ferry and bus line prices are set to significantly increase as inflation continues to bite and the cost of fuel keeps on increasing. Croatian ferry and bus line operators have asked customers for their understanding, and their forgiveness during a time which is proving difficult for all pockets.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a lot of people from Zadar like to joke about swimming across to Ugljan instead of paying for the ferry, but all jokes aside, transportation on a Croatian ferry to the Adriatic islands this summer will cost thirty percent more than it did last year.

"I think it's a really great price (speaking sarcastically) and we'll end up al going bankrupt, but for as long as it's like that, it's going to be like that. You only live once,'' said Pavao from Zagreb.

Many passengers, however, are now thinking twice about whether they can go on day trips to nearby islands at all with prices for a Croatian ferry ticket being so high. Shipowners themselves are also in troubled waters, no pun intended. The catamaran that sailed on the line between Split - Bol - Makarska - Korcula - Mljet - Dubrovnik will not sail at all this season. The reason is cited as excessive costs, writes Dnevnik.hr.

The private shipowner has issued an apology to all would-have-been passengers, offering a refund for any tickets already purchased. Unlike commercial lines, public service lines are co-financed for the year with more than 320 million kuna from the state treasury. Nevertheless, in order to sail, part of the burden is paid by customers.

"Of course, shipowners can't incur losses even though they have contracts, they must be at a certain zero both according to the law and the regulations of the European Commission, including the real profit in doing their job," explained Paula Vidovic.

They added that prices have not changed in the last twenty years, and in the last few months, the increase has been felt by bus transport companies as well.

For the Zadar - Vodice or Vodice - Zadar section, tickets were purchased a few days ago, and the difference in price is 15 kuna. The global coronavirus pandemic has thinned bus lines out totally, and fuel prices dictate ticket prices, which depend on both the carrier and the cost-effectiveness of the line. The unprofitability of local lines has plagued these companies for years, and rising fuel prices, they say, have only added fuel to an already fairly out of control fire.

"Certainly with this announcement of an additional increase in fuel prices on Tuesday, we can expect additional corrections to the price of our services," concluded Vedran Tomicic from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

They see the solution either in subsidising all local lines or by introducing monthly tickets at the state level, following the example of some other European countries, in order to save public line transport, but also to stop the prices going wild.

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