Gozo Channel was still studying a proposal for an online booking system through which commuters can pay a surcharge and skip the queue, Gozo Minister Anton Refalo said yesterday.

“First of all, this ‘priority boarding’ [talk] is a misnomer. We have commissioned a study and we are evaluating the proposal of introducing a pre-online booking system. This is not a new tax or a way to raise fares but is intended to be an added service to clients. The idea is to have a few car spaces, 10, for example, which people can book after giving us the reason why they are doing so,” he said. Asked whether the company was planning to have a board to determine whether the reasons given by customers justified the car space to be booked, Dr Refalo said there would be no such set-up.

“There has to be a reason why people use this pre-online booking,” he said, circumventing questions on who will run the system.

But he did insist fares would not go up. “On the contrary, when the company’s financial position improves, we plan to lower fares for weekends and other special occasions to be at par with those paid by Gozitans,” he said.

Addressing a press conference on the MV Gaudos, Dr Refalo said this was set to be a record year for Gozo Channel, which not only carried more passengers and vehicles but also cut the forecast €1.6 million loss by €600,000. The company was going through a restructuring programme aimed at cutting costs.

This is not a new tax or a way to raise fares

Describing the company as an “umbilical cord” connecting Gozo to Malta, Dr Refalo said more than 543,000 people were carried in August alone, apart from 142,000 cars.

Gozo Channel and the ministry were planning to find ways and means to continue attracting more people to Gozo during the shoulder months. A Christmas village in Għajnsielem is in the pipeline.

He said webcams in Mġarr, whereby people could assess the situation and have an idea of the number of cars waiting to board the ferry, would be installed in Ċirkewwa too.

Asked about the employee who allegedly stole an envelope containing proceeds of ticket sales, Dr Refalo said the person remains suspended as his criminal case was heard in court.