As said - i think that other routes can be work better.
But generally the most ferry-companies do not offer a complete transport-system and not really a good complete product.
Only to offer a ferry with some departures like FANAFJORD it has done on Cuxhaven-Brunsbüttel - is too less !
F.ex. Eckerö-Linjen (similar system has Viking Line also):
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They offer the ferry for a very very low price, tickets for ca. 2 (Viking Line Rosella), 3, 4, 5 Euro depending on day, season and time, including bus only 1, 2, 3 Euro more).
Buss + Ferry tur and retur for only 4,80 Euro (=50 SEK) !
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They have an own bus-system, taking the people from small towns and Stockholm directly to the ferry-terminal and after arrival also - and if wished - the most people stay onboard for directly crossing back - also to Mariehamn.
And if 1 buss is too less than they have 2, 3, 4, 5 buses in a konvoi.
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They offer very much onboard - for very less money, f.ex. live-music, some restaurants and bars to choose with very attractive prices.
((a little bit empty now with COVID-19 - but i was different-times onboard Eckerö before 2019 in low-season/winter - always very very full with people, was difficult to find a free chair etc. .))
Eckerö-Linjen is the only ferry i remember where are meals for the same price (or cheaper) available onboard than on land in Sweden - and in a good quality, much better than on the most other ferries which have much much much more expensive prices.
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They have regulary changing of the board-programm and themes. So if you f.ex. make the day-cruise Grisslehamn-Aaland-Grisslehamn 4, 5 or 6-times every year - you will have on each time another decoration, other music, other themes, other food (f.ex. christmas-buffet in nov./dec., vilt-buffet in sept./oct., summer-sundeck-party in july/aug., Skärgards-Buffet in May/June etc.).
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the Tax-Free-Supermarket onboard has really good cheap offers, really much cheaper than f.ex. DFDS or Color Line or on Airports.
And i think that Eckerö has very low symbolic port-fees to pay only f.ex. and is getting support from local newspapers with articles.
So if you are living anywhere in the region between Stockholm, Borlänge, Köping and Gävle and you are 65, 75, 85 years old -
what is better then to do than to go to the busstation and take bus to the Eckerö-ferry for a day-trip for nearly free of any ticket-costs ?
Enjoy some nice hours onboard with good cheap food and drinks and live-music and then coming home with tax-free-alcohol-bottles 3, 4, 5 times so cheap than at home . Therefore many people are doing these mini-cruises with Eckerö (and Viking / Silja / Tallink) often and the ferries are often also in winter good booked.
So it is not only a ferry-route, but it is a complete ferry-system with the main-target to fill every day every departure with 800, 1100, 1400 or more (max. capacity is more than 1600) day-cruise-people and then take the money from ca. 50 or 100 or 150 cars and 6 or 10 or 14 trucks on top. And the most win is coming from the restaurants and bars onboard and from the tax-free-sales - and NOT from the ticket-prices !
And so also an nearly empty car-/truck-deck in winter with maybe only 40 cars and 4 trucks is not a problem !
And for the german-coast-region - a new route KIEL-LOLLAND (Nakskov or Tars) would be working very well if the points of the Eckerö-system would be copied. Yes - there is no Tax-free - but therefore this route would be the only alternative to the money-maker route Puttgarden-Rödby. And also if the tunnel is finished in ca. 10 years - it will be an expensive toll-road-tunnel - so a cheap ferry KIEL-LOLLAND with good and cheap restaurants onboard would be always a good alternative.