Arriva requests more time to analyse bendy-bus report

Arriva requires more than 48 hours to analyse the experts' report on bendy buses, presented to the public transport service provider on Monday by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi.

Mizzi wants Arriva's feedback as soon as possible, before the arrival of a senior official of the Arriva parent company in Malta next week.

Arriva has also requested a second report, compiled by Transport Malta, on the causes of fires which afflicted a number of bendy buses in a number of days. The second report is independent of the one prepared by technical experts.

The contents of the reports have not yet been made public.

The Transport Ministry has however insisted that bendy buses will remain off the roads and changes to bus routes will go on as planned.

With 68 bendy buses taken off the streets, the Unscheduled Bus Service (UBS) - a cooperative of private coaches and minibuses - was called in to replace the bendy buses. But with schools soon to reopen, separate meetings were held between the transport and education ministries together with Transport Malta.

The entities have agreed that if the UBS would still be needed to service public transport, priority would be given to the schools.