Updated October 1
The government has announced it has offered a two-year, €12 million public service contract to fast ferry operators, on the same day that a reduction in operations was announced.
In a statement released by the Transport Ministry on Friday evening, the government said it was taking the “necessary steps” to strengthen the fast ferry service.
Earlier on Friday, the two operators announced new schedules for trips from Valletta to Gozo under which the last ferry will be leaving the city at an early 4.30 pm on weekdays.
The slashed timetable drew sharp condemnation from Gozitan lobby groups.
If taken up, the two-year service contract would bind operators to maintain a schedule in line with people's needs as well as fix prices, the government said.
The contract will also allow people receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital to make use of the fast ferry service for free.
The two companies, Virtu Ferries and Gozo Fast Ferry, both announced on Friday that their last trip would leave Mġarr, Gozo at 5 pm on weekdays and 5.30 pm on weekends.
On Saturdays and Sundays, the last fast ferry trip from Valletta is set to depart at 6 pm.
In September, the last boat on the schedule was departing Mġarr at 10.30 pm on weekdays and 12.30 am on Fridays and Saturdays, while the last trip from Valletta was leaving at 9.30 pm on weekdays and 11.30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Despite initially being touted by the government as a game-changer for students and commuters, the new schedule will be ineffective in serving many working adults and university students.
Working hours are typically between 9 am and 5 pm, while lectures at the University of Malta can run as late as 8 pm.
Upon launch, the fast ferry service was styled as a time-saving alternative for travel between the islands, promising journeys from Valletta to Mġarr in 45 minutes. While crossings from the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal typically only take around 20 minutes, commuters had long bemoaned the travel time on land and heavy traffic congestion to Ċirkewwa as factors that effectively meant the journey to Gozo would take a number of hours to complete during peak times.
A bus route from Ċirkewwa to the University of Malta was even re-routed to leave from Valletta in order to better serve students.
In June, one year after the launch of the service, fast ferry operators admitted that they had not been reaching their expected financial goals.
While initially, the two operators offered alternate routes and different prices, the two companies have since reformed their ticketing system so that any tickets bought can be used interchangeably between services on a shared schedule.
A spokesperson for the Transport Ministry later told Times of Malta that the government had recently sought permission from the European Commission to offer the public service contract to the ferry operators.
The contract will be validated pending final authorisation from the Commission and any schedule changes would come into effect after the finalization of the contract, they added.
Gozitans react negatively to new timetable
The Gozo Business Chamber expressed dissatisfaction at the new timetable on Friday night, saying it defeats "both the scope and original purpose" of the service, which was to increase accessibility to Gozo.
It said the frequency of trips, as well as the lack of advance notice of the change in timetable, prompted lack of trust in the service.
At the same time, it welcomed the financial support offered by the government, as this recognises that the service is essential to Gozitans.
The Gozitan University Group too said it was "deeply disappointed" with the updated schedule.
"It is unacceptable that more trips were held during the summer months when the majority of students had no lectures," the group said.
It described the timetable as "absurd" in that the gap in service between 7 am and 1.15 pm would force daily commuters to make the very early trip even if their lectures started later in the day.
On the way back, educators and workers would need to travel all the way to Cirkewwa to catch the ferry to Gozo.
Also complaining about the lack of a fixed X300 bus route, the group expressed frustration that the voice of Gozitan students was not being heeded.
Gozitan tourism stakeholders were also unhappy with the changes, which it called a "clear setback" for the island's aspirations.
"This reduced new winter schedule will evidently lessen the reliability and confidence in the fast ferry service, which in turn dwindles the number of commuters," the GTA said, though it also welcomed the government's commitment to back the fast ferry service.