In the third quarter of 2007, the number of commuters between Malta and Gozo increased by 7.4 per cent to total 1,305,710. Furthermore, the number of vehicles carried by scheduled vessels went up by 9.0 per cent totalling 324,883, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.

On breaking up the reference quarter into the respective months, the data showed that year on year, September registered the strongest increase.

Yet, consistent with previous years, the majority of the load was still recorded in August.

This increase in demand was met by an increase in supply. The number of trips in the third quarter stood at 5,741, implying an increase of 3.3 per cent over the comparable period last year. The highest number of trips was recorded in August - 1,990 or 34.7 per cent of the total number of trips for the quarter.

During the third quarter in 2007, the Ta’ Pinu vessel reduced its trips by 332 when compared to the corresponding period last year. Conversely, the Gaudos and the Malita increased their trips by 328 and 187 respectively, to compensate for the decrease in the Ta’ Pinu load and to cater for the increase in demand.