Public transport president apologises to Spanish tourist over driver’s aggression

Spiteri said that, although the complaint was filed by the tourist, Isabel Reymundo Cuesta, after having left Malta, the ATP will be taking immediate action with Transport Malta to suspend the bus driver from the public service, since its the transport authority that issues the licence to bus drivers.

“I express my deepest apologies for any inconvenience caused,” Spiteri told Cuesta in a public letter of apology.

Cuesta’s complaint was forwarded to Spiteri by the Malta Tourism Authority, which descrived the allegations as “very serious” and that the MTA would be pursuing the matter accordingly, “especially in an effort to safeguard our country’s image overseas.”

Cuesta was in Malta between 24 June and 1 July with a friend, when on 29 June at 12:47, they were on route bus 27 going to Marsaxlokk. They embarked the bus, presenting a €1 coin for two tickets of 47c each, but the driver refused to give them their 6c change.

“He refused and began to scream… crying out like crazy, ordering us to sit down… He insulted us very aggressively. He became so violent that he came to me and pulled my arms strongly trying to throw me out of the bus. He snatched our tickets away from my hands, he crushed them and throw the €1 coin to my face,” Cuesta said.

“Some people at the bus station realised about the situation and had to ask him for relax while we were stupefied. We were very afraid and I had to call to 112 from my mobile phone. They gave me the number of the police office in Valetta and they told me to go to the police office in the bus station. But we did not want to go down from the bus or change our plans, so we stayed in the bus. A policeman from the police office in the bus station came and went into the bus. He returned us our tickets and convinced the bus driver to do his work.”

Cuesta said she would not recommended Malta to other friends because of this experience, and said she had mailed her complaint to the Spanish press. “We do not deserve this kind of treatment. Our only offence was paying our tickets and waiting for our change as everybody do all over the world… Malta’s image [in] Europe is becoming damaged a lot because of this kind of behaviour.”