Pikkarala Ferry

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Pikkarala ferry wintering on the shore of Oulujoki.
History
General characteristics

Pikkarala Ferry (Pikkaralan lossi in Finnish) is a single-operator cable-guided ferry operating across Oulujoki river between and . The ferry route is a part of Pikkarala private road. The ferry operates between 08:00–17:00 from Monday to Friday and 08:00–15:00 on Saturdays when traffic so requires. Typically the operating season starts at about mid-May and lasts until about mid-October.

The ferry is operated under the funding from the City of Oulu and the State of Finland. Approximately one-fifth of the funding comes from the city, the rest comes from the state. The annual costs are approximately 25.000 euros.

The ferry service began in 1930s when a man-powered ferry was taken in service, and there has been a ferry at the very same location every year since. The man-powered ferry was replaced with a ferry equipped a boat engine. The current ferry was taken in service in 1992. Originally the current ferry served as a "Sanki Ferry" only a few miles downstream, but it was discontinued when the was built.