'Unacceptable' monopoly situation in fast ferry services, says Gozo chamber head
The Gozo fast ferry services have changed from what was once an extremely competitive environment to an "unacceptable" system of monopoly, Gozo Business Chamber CEO Daniel Borg complained on Monday. Borg was speaking during a parliamentary Gozo Affairs Committee meeting during which the service was discussed. Launched just over a year ago, two fast ferry services, run by Virtu Ferries Gozo and Gozo Fast Ferry, started to operate from the a newly built terminal in Valletta. At the time, the two vessels operated on separate schedules and charged different fares for passengers. A year on, the two operators have reformed their ticketing system so that a ticket bought from one company can be used on the other’s service. The two ferries now operate on a shared schedule. “When the fast ferry service was introduced, it was a highly competitive environment. At one point there was a trip nearly every half hour,” Borg said. “While competition is very good, we are now in a completely opposite situation, where we have two operators who share a schedule. You can say we went from one situation of extreme competition to a system of monopoly, and this is not acceptable.” While the services...