PN Gozo candidate says fast ferry service ignores Gozitans’ needs

The fast ferry service ignores Gozitans’ needs and the latest announcement of a 30-minute pre-booking window will not solve the problem, Nationalist Party candidate Beppe Galea said.

Galea, who will be contesting the election in Gozo, gave short-shrift to the proposal made by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri on Thursday, insisting it will do nothing to improve the fast ferry service for Gozitans.

“Pre-booking exists and we’ve never faced any problems to use a pre-booked ticket on a different trip,” Galea said, adding that “Gozitan workers in Malta will still have to wait behind long queues of tourists because priority boarding does not exist.”

He was reacting to Camilleri’s announcement on Thursday that the fast ferry pre-booking facility will allow passengers to do so up to 30 minutes before departure. Until now it was possible to pre-book a trip up to one hour before it is due.

The minister also said the pre-booking engine will shortly allow pre-booked tickets to be transferred onto a different trip. He made the announcement in a Facebook reel, while sitting next to Sarah Schembri, a young person who, during the Labour Party congress called for the introduction of priority boarding for Gozitan residents.

But Galea was not impressed, adding the minister tried to give the impression his proposals were going to improve the lives of Gozitan passengers.

“The problem with the fast ferry service is that it is geared towards tourists both in terms of the scheduled times and frequency,” he said, calling for more trips and time-slots to address the needs of Gozitans.

Galea noted that another pressing matter was the need to have a decent fast ferry terminal on the Gozo side since today the boarding area is just a tented space.