Grand ideas for Gozo

We have now learnt that the contract for the new public transport service will be awarded in May. That's quite a long way off, and full implementation is even more distant. In the meantime, some good, relatively simple suggestions for alleviating immediate problems have gone unheeded. The Gozo Circular Bus is a case in point.

In July 2008 a Gozo Discovery Bus was launched on a three-week experimental basis. By all accounts, notably those of Culture Minister Dolores Cristina, the EU-funded experiment was a success. So it is pertinent to ask why the project was never launched on a permanent basis?

The Discovery Bus ran every two hours, doing a circular trip from Victoria to Mgarr Harbour, Nadur, Ramla Bay, Ggantija Temples, Marsalforn, Ta' Pinu, Dwejra, Ta' Dbiegi crafts centre and Xlendi. It was popular with foreign and Maltese visitors, as well as locals.

The circular bus concept ties in well with the idea of 'Eco Gozo' as it would free the island of a considerable amount of private transportation. It would be a great loss if the idea were not incorporated into the planned public transport reform, or perhaps allowed to run alongside the main transport system.

Transport Minister Austin Gatt said the proposed reforms would help transform Malta's economy. This would be doubly true for Gozo, where there is virtually no means of independent transport other than by private vehicles. To tour the island, you need to take a taxi, join a coach tour or take a car.

Low-cost airlines have done their bit to improve tourism in Gozo. Cheap and convenient transport for visitors would do even more.

The Gozo Business Chamber has added its weight to the idea of a circular bus service. In March 2008 the chamber suggested a hop-on-hop-off-round-Gozo bus to take visitors to historical and other places of interest. One practical idea would be to sell the circular bus ticket along with the ferry ticket, together with a timetable and a map of the hop- on hop-off spots.

The short-lived experimental Gozo Discovery Bus was grandly launched, billboards, schedules and all, as part of an EU project aimed to create a standard for sustainable tourism for the Mediterranean.

It was managed by the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta and, according to its manager, Maryrose Vella, the feedback was "overwhelmingly positive". But the project now seems to be dead.

It's amazing how big ideas for Gozo have fired our imagination for years: airport landing strips, a bridge to Malta, a fully-fledged eco island, and more. Yet the little things that can make a huge and immediate difference never seem to grab anyone's attention.