Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491153
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 11 COMMERCIAL IN 2018, Gozo Channel Oper- ations Ltd (GCOL), embarked on a journey to improve the quality of its services for all of its patrons, a decision in ac- complishing this was the leas- ing of a 4th Vessel. The investment of leasing a 4th vessel has reduced the waiting time significantly for the commuters who are us- ing their vehicles. Quite an important investment for GCOL as since obtaining this 4th Vessel, the waiting time has reduced significantly for patrons crossing over with a vehicle, (including those for business travel). The addition to the num- ber of operating vessels has provided GCOL with a con- siderable amount of flexibil- ity in successfully managing days where demand for travel to Gozo with a vehicle is ex- ceptional. Through the add- ed availability of extra trips and over-and-above-sched- uled services provided by the GCOL, the fourth vessel has been a terrific aid in success- fully handling the high de- mand of commuters wanting to utilise the service. As part of its process for the improvement on service qual- ity, on the 24th January 2023 GCOL introduced and elec- tronic ticketing system which will be accessible for purchas- ing ferry tickets online for dif- ferent customer groups and this will be split into different phases. This system will be accessi- ble for purchasing ferry tickets online for different customer groups, at different phases. A two-phase approach was implemented during the plan- ning of the replacement of the Gozo Channel's current tick- eting system with an e-ticket- ing system instead. The first phase was directed at replacing the current tick- eting system (which had been introduced in 2000), with a new modern information system (IS),the new system comes equipped with the lat- est industry standards, mod- ularity, scalability and many other high-tech essentials. The newest IS, also known as 'FerryCloud', is a cloud-based system.,this type of system al- lows e-ticketing to be hosted in two data centrewhich safe guards business continuity for both GCOL and its patrons. The first phase also intro- duces a module which is busi- ness-to-business (B2B) and is being introduced gradually. During the first stages of the new electronic ticketing sys- tem, any e-Commerce pur- chase of e-tickets will either be through a debit or credit card mechanism. Changes to the 'Frequent Travel Cards' and 'Daily Commuter Cards' will also take place during this first phase. This alteration is in prepara- tion for the launching of the second phase, which is known as the business – to-consumer (BC2) e-ticketing and will take place in the near future. GCOL has already informed theholders of the Frequent Travel Cards and Daily Com- muter Cards to switch over to the new cards. Phase 1 of GCOL's new e-ticketing system became operational from Tuesday 24th January 2023.GCOL has extensively been preparing for this transition, to ensure a smooth implementation of the new IS, 'FerryCloud' and its corresponding new e-tick- eting system Gozo Channel will be assisting and guide- ing its commuters to ensure the success of the phase one implementation. during this time of transition Phase 2 of FerryCloud's new e-ticketing service will include personalised smart cards, e-Wallets, m-tickets and a 'tap and go' initiative for all of itscommuters and these willbe introduced by the end of 2023. Queries or questions relat- ing to the implementation of Phase one of the new e-tick- eting system can be addressed to admin@gozochannel.com. Information, including videos, FAQS, etc., can be found on this link: https://www.gozo- channel.com/e-ticketing-sys- tem/. For the latest news on the e-ticketing system project, patrons should regularly visit GCOL's website: https://www. gozochannel.com/. GCOL thanks its commuters for the continued use of its services. Gozo Channel Operations Ltd (GCOL) implements a new e-ticketing system