You dash across Malta to catch the ferry; dodging traffic, weaving through the mess around the Valletta terminal. Somehow, you make it.Then you arrive in Gozo, only to find the bus already gone.The ferry doors open in Mġarr and people spill out, tired, already thinking about getting home only to realise that the bus left minutes ago, while you were still on the ferry.Not because anyone was late, or because the bus jumped the schedule. It’s just scheduled that way. Every single time. No matter which ferry you catch, no matter how fast you run to the stop.So you stand there, clustered with everyone else, squinting into the sun or bracing against the wind. There’s nowhere proper to wait. Time drags.And this is meant to be normal.Mgarr Harbour isn’t some quiet corner anymore. It’s Gozo’s front door, and lately it feels like everyone’s coming through it at once.A recent Gozo Regional Development Authority report puts passenger movements at around 7.4 million by 2025. That’s not small. That’s airport-level busy. And that figure doesn’t even account for private boats or other operators who slip under the radar.What really gets me isn’t the scale. It’s how predictable it all is. Twenty years ago, this level of activity was considered “highly improbable.” Now, the GRDA report notes that it’s routine.People arrive in waves. Mornings build up, the day peaks between 9 and 4, with obvious spikes mid-morning and later in the afternoon. None of this is a surprise. We know exactly when things get busy and where the pressure hits.And yet somehow, the system is still built to work against that rhythm.That’s what makes it infuriating. We act like congestion is some unsolvable puzzle that requires grand infrastructure projects or years of planning. But one of the simplest fixes is right in front of us: buses leaving just minutes before the ferry docks.When walking 147 metres’ elevation uphill to Nadur is faster than waiting for a bus, a walk I’ve done many times, something is clearly broken.And when it feels faster to walk than to wait, every single time, then something is definitely wrong.It doesn’t need a complete overhaul. The data is already there; just align bus schedules with ferry arrivals, especially during peak hours. That alone would make a massive difference and would need no multi-million-euro announcement. No “big solution.”This raises questions on what kind of country we’re choosing to be. When public transport doesn’t work at the most basic level, it doesn’t fail everyone equally. The student commuting daily, the worker on a fixed schedule, and the elderly passenger who can’t just “figure something else out” are the ones that carry the cost.Meanwhile, the system quietly rewards the one option we claim we want fewer of: more cars on the road, more congestion choking the ever worsening Mgarr–Victoria corridor, exactly as the data predicts.And then there’s the dignity of the experience itself, or lack thereof.Millions of passengers a year, and still almost no proper shelter. People stand in the blazing sun in August, or drenched in January, packed together after disembarking. Even the “modern” fast ferry operates under temporary tents that became permanent by sheer inaction. It’s a detail that speaks volumes: this works well enough, so why bother?Cross over to Valletta, and it doesn’t get better.Access to the fast ferry terminal in Valletta is a maze, and unsafe at that. Pedestrians dodge traffic, barriers appear inconsistently, railings are either overbuilt or missing entirely.And the busiest passengers, Gozo workers and students, get zero priority boarding, especially during peak months.Again, not because it’s complicated to fix, but because it hasn’t been treated as urgent.That’s the most frustrating part. None of this requires a grand, multi-million euro project to solve. Start small. Align bus schedules with ferry arrivals during peak hours. Adjust routes slightly. Add proper shelters where people are actually waiting. Fix pedestrian access in Valletta so people aren’t forced into the road just to get to the ferry.We shouldn’t have to write articles to advocate for the basics.Right now, Mgarr works, but only if you lower your expectations enough.Luke Said is a Gozitan activist and a PN candidate.Lovin Malta is open to interesting, compelling guest posts from third parties. These opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Submit your piece at hello@lovinmalta.com•