The Clutha ferry passenger harbour steamers provided a service running up and down the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and were collectively known as Cluthas. They were introduced on 12 April 1884, with six boats. By 1899 twelve boats ran a service between Victoria Bridge and Whiteinch Ferry, taking about 45 minutes on the route which included 11 landing stages alternating on both sides of the river, and charging one

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

fare for the full distance. This service was in addition to the cross ferries running from side to side of the river, which had introduced steam ferries in 1865. The passengers using the Cluthas included workers commuting every day to the docks and industries along the river which included shipyards and engineering workshops. Competing services were introduced by the

Glasgow subway The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...

which opened in 1896, and the

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

system from 1901. The Cluthas were withdrawn in 1903.

Notes

{{reflist Ferry transport in Scotland Transport in Glasgow