Tourists travelling to Gozo are being greeted by what can be described as harassment from taxi drivers offering tours around the island.

I travelled to Gozo on 10 January as part of a work trip and decided to do so using public transport, meaning that I would obviously have to walk on and off the Gozo Channel ferry. Incidentally, when you travel to Gozo on foot, you now exit the boat from a gangway that leads you into the new bright and shiny arrivals terminal at Mgarr Harbour.

The terminal in itself is very pleasing, but does not prepare travellers for the barrage of heckling that awaits them, once they set foot on the concrete just outside the door.

When I went there myself, there were at least 10 taxi drivers touting fares for sightseeing trips around the island.

I do not know what was offered to others, but the guy who singled me out from the crowd offered me a guided tour in his Mercedes for EUR40. I held my ground and said I was not interested, to which he responded by dropping the fee to EUR35 and then EUR30. When I told the taxi driver that I would be taking the bus to Victoria, (which costs slightly less than a euro), he told me he would take me there, in style, for one measly euro. Like many other people, I refused. What was a bit embarrassing to watch was the way in which the taxi drivers swooped down on all and sundry, literally using the hard sell technique as people were desperately trying to get away from them while queuing for the bus.

I saw a green, moustachioed ADT official who seemed oblivious to what was going on and was not doing anything to stop the throng of drivers. On my return to Malta, I duly contacted the Malta Transport Authority to ask whether or not the behaviour of the drivers was legal and why their official had done nothing about the situation.

The ADT said: “Taxi drivers can offer ‘tours’ around the island of Gozo and although they could have negotiated a flat rate, the drivers are still obliged to switch on the taxi meter. (The pre-negotiated flat rate obviously has to be less than what the meter displays).”

A spokesman continued: “With regard to the ADT official you mentioned, he is a Transport Assistant whose job is to ensure that buses run as per schedule and he has no jurisdiction over taxis, taxi drivers and taxi services.

“On most days, ADT enforcement officers are stationed at the Mgarr terminal to ensure that all forms of public transport run smoothly and to ensure that taxi drivers, in particularly, are not being a nuisance,” she concluded.

It is good to know that the ADT does know of this issue, and perhaps it was just my luck to be there on a day when no enforcement official was present. But I really do hope that this problem is dealt with. We all understand that taxi drivers are simply trying to make a buck during the shoulder season, but they should not be allowed to harass tourists in this manner. The ADT should redouble their efforts in this regard, perhaps by sending some of their more disciplined officials from Malta over on occasion.