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The last regular ferry service across the River Clyde near Glasgow has closed just weeks after the opening of a new road bridge led to a drop in passengers.<\/p>\n The Renfrew Ferry had operated for around 100 years, linking the town to Yoker on the north bank of the river. <\/p>\n The boat carried pedestrians and cyclists across the Clyde for a small fare and operated seven days a week without public subsidy. <\/p>\n The operators said it was ceasing with immediate effect after a steep fall in passenger numbers meant it was no longer viable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The opening of the new Renfrew Bridge earlier in May had led to speculation about the future of the service, which used a small aluminium boat to carry up to 12 people.<\/p>\n While the ferry is closer to Renfrew town centre and the new swing bridge is sometimes closed to allow ships to pass, there were fears that passenger numbers would decrease. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a statement on social media, operators Clydelink said this had proved to be the case, with passenger numbers last week falling to a level that was “no longer viable to keep running”. <\/p>\n The statement added: “We didn’t get funding, but only passenger fares kept us going. A huge thank you from us to all of you who used the ferry. Some of you, every day. <\/p>\n “Many became personal friends. Yes, the bridge is a real pain when it’s unavailable, sometimes for hours, but that’s just swinging bridge life, and those of us who live locally will get used to it.<\/p>\n “So goodbye from all the Renfrew to Yoker staff. It is certainly the end of an era. We will see you around.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Renfrew Ferry was one of numerous ferry services that once operated across the Clyde, including at Finnieston, Govan, Partick, Whiteinch and Erskine. <\/p>\n The boom in car use in the 1950s and 1960s saw the introduction of a car ferry at Renfrew which was hauled between the river banks by chains. <\/p>\n But the opening of the Clyde Tunnel in 1963 affected usage, and it reverted to a passenger-only service again in 1984. <\/p>\n Strathclyde Partnership for Transport continued to provide a subsidised passenger ferry until 2010, when the crossing was taken over by private operator Clydelink.<\/p>\n The new Renfrew Bridge opened on 9 May, the first new road bridge across the river since the Clyde Arc, nicknamed the “Squinty Bridge,” in 2006. <\/p>\n Further west, in the wider Firth of Clyde, ferry services continue to operate between Gourock and Dunoon, operated by Western Ferries and CalMac. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nLast of the Clyde’s urban ferries<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n