What happened to the Gozo circular bus?

The Gozo Eco Island concept and public transport reform are intrinsically linked. The latter seems to have finally moved ever so slightly forward. We have now learned that the contract for the new 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 in Parliament and its project manager at the University of Malta, the EU-funded experiment was a success. So why was the project never launched on a permanent basis? Why did the Discovery Bus disappear after the successful experimental phase?

The Discovery Bus ran every two hours, doing a circular trip from Victoria to Mġarr Harbour, Nadur, Ramla Bay, Ġgantija Temples, Marsalforn, Ta' Pinu, Dwejra, Ta' Dbiegi Crafts Centre and Xlendi. It was popular with foreign and Maltese visitors and was reportedly even used by locals who found it useful in view of the hopelessly inadequate public transport system in Gozo.

The circular bus concept ties in well with the idea of Eco Gozo as it would cut down considerably on private transport. 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 has said that the proposed reforms will help transform Malta's economy. This would be doubly true for Gozo, where there is virtually no means of independent travel other than by private vehicle.

To tour the island, you need to take a taxi, join a coach tour or take a car. Many visitors, including day-trippers, are averse to all these solutions. Today's travellers are increasingly independent, environment-conscious or simply prefer to make their holiday money stretch further. Whatever the reason, the trend is for doing your own thing using communal transport. Cheap and convenient transport would attract day trippers and longer-term visitors alike.

The Gozo Business Chamber has supported the idea of a circular bus service. In March 2008, it suggested a hop-on hop-off round-Gozo bus to take visitors to historical and other places of interest including Ta' Dbiegi Crafts Centre. The outlets at the crafts centre, in particular, are at the mercy of tour coaches to bring visitors to their shops.

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. Commercial outlets on its route could be invited to advertise, providing valuable revenue. But then Gozo Channel would never support an initiative which would lead to a reduction in its lucrative car ferrying business.

Eco Island and transport reform on Gozo? The lobby of those with vested interests in keeping the status quo is daunting. Just how the web of taxi drivers, coach tour operators, car rental companies and others is to be tackled remains to be seen.

The short-lived experimental Gozo Discovery Bus was grandly launched, billboards, schedules and all, as part of an EU project 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" and yet, more than a year past the experiment, the project seems to be dead.