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Gozo Fast Ferries Must Be Placed Under Public Ownership After Scheduling Controversy, Moviment Graffitti Says

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Activist group Moviment Graffitti has called for the Gozo fast ferry services to be placed under public ownership. 

In June, both operators, Virtu Ferries and GozoFast Ferry, said that the service, which provides a link between Valletta and Gozo, is “absolutely not financially viable” and said that government intervention will be needed for it to be feasible.

More recently, Lovin Malta reported how the service had dramatically reduced its schedule during the winter months, particularly during weekdays. 

The service has been trimmed from roughly 13 trips a day to around five.

“The provision of this fast ferry service via two private companies that need to turn a profit, instead of a public service run for the common good, was a grave mistake from the outset that made the current flop inevitable,” Moviment Graffitti said.

“This is an insult to all Gozitan and Maltese residents.”

“Many over the past months have become increasingly reliant on the fast ferry, hoping to avoid endless traffic between the two islands by going directly to Valletta.”

“Some have ditched their cars, and the ability to board the fast ferry by bicycle made it an attractive service to many bicycle users. Its sudden excision is unacceptable and needs to be reversed immediately.”

“Ironically, while this essential service is being allowed to falter, the government is proposing an unviable and destructive airstrip in Gozo in the name of improved connectivity between the islands.”

Moviment Grafffitti said that the plan to subsidise the service fails to create a long-term solution for improved connectivity between the islands.

“As an essential public service, the provision of a fast link between Valletta and Gozo should have been under public ownership from the start,’ it said, adding that its privatisation had made the service worse, not better.

“We demand immediate action from the government to step in and ensure that the prior timetable is restored within the framework of a service that prioritises the common good.”

Do you agree?

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Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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