Government to announce stand on reform on December 5

The government planned to announce its stand on the public transport reform at a national conference on December 5, the Transport Ministry said yesterday.

The ministry was reacting to a statement by the Public Transport Association (ATP), which called for talks on the sector's reform in line with a pre-election promise.

ATP president Victor Spiteri said that before the March elections the association and the government had agreed on a 10-year public transport contract. The ministry was quick to point out that this was not an agreement but a letter containing the government's intentions at the time.

Mr Spiteri said that if the agreement was terminated and could not be renewed, bus owners had to be suitably compensated. Such a contract had to be reached before 2010 according to an EU directive.

The ministry said that in the letter mentioned above the government had expressed its intention to enter into an agreement as long as this was within the parameters of EU legislation.

It explained that, at the time, the government was having talks with the EU over dividing the public transport service into a number of contracts so that direct tenders could be awarded in terms of EU law.

However, the European Commission did not accept the proposal. The government's remaining options were to either nationalise the service, something it did not wish to do, or to launch a competitive selection process.

The ministry said that if the owners running the service had to stop doing so once the competitive process ended, discussions would be held and they would be suitably compensated.

Mr Spiteri said the association had long been calling for a public transport reform because it believed this could result in a fair income for the service being offered and also an improvement in the drivers' working conditions, which were among the worst in the EU. The ministry welcomed the association's call for reform but said the letter being referred to was not for the provision of a service without competition.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

B Agius (on 21/11/08)

We'll wait and see with bated breath what the Government announces!! Will anything ever really change that is of some substance? Go on Government - surprise us as no Government before has ever done anything meaningful in this sector. I agree with A Sammut hereunder that this sector needs a major restructure. Given the history of change in Malta - the Government will probably end up changing a few peripheral things! One thing worries me a bit - if the Government starts with scrapping all the old buses - as it should - Malta would lose a major tourist attraction! What are those silly pommie tourists(especially) with nothing to do and not much money in their pocket going to do when visiting Malta if not enjoy looking and taking photos of the buses? Perhaps, if indeed the buses are ever decommissioned, they should build a museum for them!

adrian sammut (on 20/11/08)

Public transport doesn't need a reform.....it needs a re-birth! Yes clear the slate and start afresh with smaller buses ideal for our roads , appropriately trained driver s (they are in customer service industry too) and more efficient and punctual routes. I was using buses for a couple of days a few months ago because my car was in the shop. Upon leaving the bus in Valletta every morning i did an experiment . I said good morning to each driver and lo and behold -- no reaction from any of them. This apart from the driver of the bus from Hamrun to valletta one morning who kept us entertained by shouting out in foul language at any vehicle that slowed him down or got in his way .

Liam Kelly (on 20/11/08)

So Mr Spiteri's only desire for reform is ' because it believed this could result in a fair income for the service being offered and also an improvement in the drivers' working conditions, which were among the worst in the EU'!!!

No mention of the fact that the passengers are being consistantly verbally and physically abused, overcharged, have to cope with late or non existant bus services and sit and cringe while the drivers share off as many of our much needed tourists by their sheer arrogance?

No of course not, 'driver working conditions' is much more of a pressing issue!

Micky Mouse

Public transport

Government to announce stand on reform on December 5

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