Africa-Press – Gambia. Scores of passengers travelling between Banjul-Barra ferry crossing Monday cried over the prolonged delay of the ferry service.
Speaking to The Voice, Fatou Njie who escorted a family member at Banjul Ferry Terminal lamented that she was very disappointed after waiting for two hours, only to be told that Kanilai Ferry would not ferry the passengers due to minor problems.
“I feel disappointed because I have been waiting for a very long time, I have spent almost two hours waiting, yet still nothing is done,’’ Njie cried out.
She explained that she was expecting to escort her family into the Kanilai Ferry, but after waiting for a while the Ferry Service Officers asked them to wait for Kunta Keiteh Ferry to ferry them from Banjul to Barra.
She pleaded with President Barrow’s administration to buy more ferries and deploy workers adding that such problems ought to have been sorted out, for it is quite frustrating.
Madam Njie urged the current government to copy other countries that have a well functional ferry service, noting that The Gambia is way bigger than what their passengers are facing at Banjul, Barra ferry terminal.
Ebrima Wally a native of Banjul and one of the passengers who waited for two hours remarked that the delayed ferry service came as an unexpected shocking moment.
He called on the government to provide more ferry services for the people, stating that such ought to be tackled by President Barrow’s government.
Meanwhile, when this reporter contacted the Public Relations Officer of National Ferry Services, Baboucarr Suso, he acknowledged problems encountered by passengers, stating that despite Kunta Keiteh ferry is running, it is not absolutely ‘’one hundred percent’’ functional.
PRO Suso explained that Kunta Keiteh Ferry is currently undergoing test to ascertain whether it would be absolutely functional on the water. He said that two weeks ago experts were invited to diagnose the problems of Kunta Keiteh Ferry and the said expert recommended certain parts to be changed.
‘’People must understand that these parts are not locally available and to procure the parts it has to go through administrative protocol,’’ PRO Suso revealed.
Mr, Suso asserted that the spare parts in question were yet to arrive, adding that in running test to ascertain the functionality of Kunta Keita Ferry, the national Ferry Service would not risk the lives of passengers, ‘’for safety is our greatest concern.’’
Asked about the allegations of corruption within the national ferry service, PRO Suso declined to comment on that.
He pleaded with the public to pay for tickets for national development, while advising passengers to plan their journey and avoid rush hour journeys to prevent unforeseen circumstances.
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