These last months have proved to be very difficult for Gozitans crossing to and from Malta. Waiting times spanning anywhere between three to five hours have become the order of the day.

This situation cannot be attributed to the increase in the number of visitors to Gozo but rather to Gozo Channel Ltd’s poor service. Those suffering the most are those Gozitans working and or studying in Malta.

To make matters worse the ferry still sticks to its normal schedule with a vessel crossing over every 45 minutes or even less frequently, with hundreds of cars queueing. It is time for Gozo Channel to invest in a fourth ferry.

For those advocating a tunnel reaching only as far as Manikata, I am afraid it would not solve much either. The biggest issue with the ferry is that it only berths in Ċirkewwa, Malta’s furthest point, far from where most people need to go. Manikata not far from Ċirkewwa.

Considering that a metro is “out of the question”, things here are simply getting worse. What could help would be a fast ferry service to Valletta or Sa Maison. This would prevent the need for a lot of Gozitans to have to cross over using their car. The prices would need to be reasonable, possibly also subsidised by the government.

The link between Malta and Gozo is truly a lifeline. For the Maltese this might not be important, but for Gozitans who make continuous use of such a service, it is a sine-qua-non.

Gozo Channel should not exist in order to make a profit but rather to provide a reliable and efficient service for Gozitans.