Malta Public Transport denies union claims on revenue loss

Malta Public Transport has denied claims that a slowdown in passengers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in a dire financial situation for the company.

The reaction is to claims by General Workers Union transport secretary Sandro Vella to Sunday newspaper Illum, which reported that a lower number of people was making use of public transport facilities.

Vella claims income for MPT had been reduced by more than 50%, and that since the last meeting at the turn of the year, the situation was still “bad” according to Vella. “We had drivers who reported back to us saying they were only making €6 on certain routes,” he said, adding that around 60 part-timers with the company had to be removed from their posts, due to lower passenger numbers. 

Vella said that a majority of those who had their work terminated used to depend on it as their primary source of income.

But the MPT said the information given by Vella was not true, as he was not present during meetings where the company was discussing its financial situation. It said the report was based on a number of “wrong allegations” aimed at damaging the company’s reputation.

MPT said that it has implemented a number of measures to sustain the business, and retain jobs throughout the pandemic.  “In fact, thanks to these measures, and financial support from government and the group of companies, the financial situation is a stable one,” a spokesperson said.

MPT also insisted that the public was not scared of making use of public transport in times of the pandemic, saying it had ferried around 100,000 people daily for the last year or so. The company also challenged Vella’s claims by citing its €12 million investment in 50 new busses and the installation of Perspex screens and other COVID-mitigation measures. “Such investments are enough to dispute the false claims made in the article,” the company said.