Be the first to comment!GUG welcomes free Gozo Park & Ride service that started today
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The long awaited free of charge Park & Ride service which started today with 100% electric buses, has been welcomed by the Gozo University Group.
The service is aimed not only at Gozitan workers and students who travel to Malta to work or study, but for all those who want to journey to Malta without a car, the Government has said.
Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri made the announcement in a Facebook post, saying that new service will be operating from the Xewkija Heliport to Mgarr area from 5am to 9pm.
Between 5am to 8am and from 3pm to 6pm the service will be every 10 minutes, while it will be every 30 minutes at any other time.
He said that those who use the service can park their car in Triq il-Kanal and Triq il-Bwier and from there catch one of the 6 electric buses that take them to the harbour for the ferry or fast ferry to Malta.
In a statement, the Gozitan University Group welcomed the news of the Park & Ride service, saying that students who cross daily to Malta can park their vehicle in the Heliport area and cross to Malta without worrying about where they can leave their car.
GUG said that ”earlier this year during a meeting that the GUG had with the Minister for Gozo, we spoke to the Minister about the importance of starting such a service. We believe that this service will be another step forward to facilitate the life of the Gozitan student.”
The Ministry for Gozo first issued a call for a feasibility study on the possibility of a park and ride service for Mgarr harbour in September 2017, as announced by the then Minister for Gozo Dr Justyne Caruana.
She said that the Government is ”aware of the challenges that Gozitan workers and students face who have to cross daily to Malta for work or studies. Among these challenges is parking, because of a lack of available space.”
The Government had proposed a park and ride service for peak hours. The question of recommendations for the operation of the park and ride, was also to be addressed, she said.
Then in November 2018 during seminars held in Gozo as part of Interreg Mediterranean, Minister Caruana said that the Park & Ride project would be ”implemented in the coming months with the introduction of electric buses to transport commuters to and from Mgarr Harbour.”
