Online booking for the Parika to Bartica ferry service is expected to come on stream by December this year and the other services are expected to start from January 1, 2023.
The online platform was launched earlier this month and was developed by local tech company V75 Inc.
Apart from saving travel time, the online service aims to ease challenges with securing places on the vessels.
The online system is currently only catered to the Parika-Supenaam route and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said it has been rolling out smoothly.
“Of course, with anything that is new, especially when it is technology [and] people haven’t used it before, we would always have some challenges but we are fully booked.
“Even the management of the Transport and Harbours Department are pretty surprised about the level of uptake and use,” Edghill told the News Room on Thursday at the sidelines of an event at the ministry’s Wight’s Lane, Georgetown office.
Meanwhile, online booking is on track for the other routes including, Georgetown to North West, Suriname ferry service and Parika to Wakenaam and Leguan by January 1, 2023.
“I have given them a deadline to work on the other routes. We want to do Leguan and Wakenaam and get all of that going so it is working pretty well,” Minister Edghill said.
The online system will be used concurrently with the old ferry system.
But the old system will only be available for a short while to facilitate the transition to the online system.
However, persons who book online would take precedence over those who register in person.
Persons utilising the online booking platform can pay primarily via MMG but other payment options, inclusive of credit and debit cards, will be available in the future.
