I have been following the correspondence concerning the Gozo ferry service. Rather than going into the merits of priority boarding, having a second car or home in Malta and Gozo or other suggestions made by the public, I feel the issue that needs addressing is that the current Gozo ferry service appears to be inadequate for the daily commuter.

To be fair to Gozo Channel, the overall service has improved dramatically over the past few years and many more people have come to rely on it for daily commuting. But the service has become a victim of its own success.

The service has three large vessels which are very seaworthy, meaning very few trips are cancelled, even in rough seas. Although it is punctual and reliable, the current carrying capacity for cars has been unable to keep up with the increased demand by the daily commuter during peak times.

In this busy life we lead, time management becomes all the more important, particularly in our daily journey for work. Even on the best days, it is usual for a journey to Gozo to take about one-and-a-half hours (door to door). Many people take a calculated decision to accept this commuting time of three hours a day.

But when getting on the boat becomes something of a lottery each day, the ease of commuting becomes erratic and frustrating. When the carrying capacity of the service is inadequate, getting up earlier to be higher up the queue for the boat just means others will be left behind.

It remains the responsibility of the government to ensure an adequate carrying capacity of a ferry service for daily commuters. The carrying capacity at peak times currently seems to be inadequate. The service could be improved by using all three boats during these peak times, and if this is not enough then perhaps other vessels with car-carrying capacity could be chartered to augment the service.

At the moment, there does not appear to be any commercial pressure on the Gozo Channel to change the status quo (if you don’t get on the first boat you will get on the second or the third!)

Perhaps the peak time ‘congestion’ can be managed better by introducing a booking system for all daily commuters who can be pre-booked onto a particular boat when buying their ‘frequent-user’ ticket package.

Pre-booking will take the ‘lottery’ out of the daily journey and will improve the service for the daily commuter. This system will only work if there is adequate car-carrying capacity, otherwise it would not be fair on other users of the service.

This service should be offered to all daily commuters at no extra charge (since it may be regarded as a concession for frequent users).

A booking system could be extended to other users against a booking fee. Many businesses using the service would benefit from a more organised pre-booking service and would be willing to pay the premium. Day visitors to Gozo might be more inclined to make the trip if the return journey time was guaranteed.

A proportion of the carrying capacity could be allocated to pre-booked reservations as a means to increase revenue for Gozo Channel and to offer the client a better deal.

It was important for Franco Mercieca to initiate the debate. I am hopeful a solution will be found which would ultimately benefit both Gozo Channel and the client.