By: Alieu Ceesay
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded on Monday evening at the Barra Ferry Crossing Point after a ferry reportedly departed without boarding them, sparking anger and accusations of mismanagement.
The incident occurred as travelers waited in the terminal’s waiting room after purchasing tickets at D35 each. Eyewitnesses said the new ferry began moving away while some passengers were still running towards it in a desperate attempt to board. Despite a large number of people waiting, the vessel left with significantly fewer passengers, leaving hundreds locked in the waiting area.
Frustrated travelers expressed shock and disappointment, with many blaming “weak staff” at the Barra Crossing Point. Others pointed to possible mismanagement and even raised concerns about corruption in the ferry services.
“This is not normal. How can they forget us in the waiting room?” Lamin Ceesay, one of the passengers, lamented.
As the situation dragged on, several angry passengers abandoned the waiting room and walked towards the crossing point. Travelers heading out of Banjul grew increasingly worried about a potential surge in transport fares at night from the capital to surrounding areas.
One senior Ferry staff member of the Gambia Ferry Service later admitted the error, with one worker confessing they had “forgotten” the passengers in the waiting room. The staff member claimed to have communicated with the captain more than five times during the incident.
“I was communicating with the captain over five times,” the staff told the passengers.
As of late Monday, no official statement or explanation had been issued by ferry authorities regarding why the vessel departed without ensuring that all ticketed passengers were on board.
