Public transport fleet – Ministry prepared for start of school

Transport minister Joe Mizzi has reassured commuters that the government has a contingency plan for the start of school in October, when the Unscheduled Bus Service (UBS) will have to redeploy its fleet for the transport of children to schools and back.

Transport company Arriva Malta is paying more than €30,000 per day for private coaches to replace the temporarily suspended bendy buses, after it had to hire 61 coaches from the UBS not to disrupt its service after the articulated vehicles were forced off the road over safety concerns.

The UBS has over 140 vehicles at its disposal.

Mizzi today revealed that he had turned down a request by Arriva to have an independent report on the safety of the bendy buses provided by Mercedes - the manufacturers of the articulated buses.

Mizzi also said that Arriva's financial losses, amounting to some €35 million for the first two years of its operation, had "nothing to do with government".

"I am responsible to see that Arriva provides a service that is safe. I don't enter into the financial problems of a private company."

Mizzi said there was no talk so far from Arriva over its ability to deliver on a 10-year commitment to provide the public transport service for the Maltese islands.

Arriva, a subsidiary of German transport company Deutsche Bahn, was said its annual report 2012 to have had to adjust its provisions to make good for some €71 million in "pending losses in regional transport in Great Britain and in Malta".The  The company has not denied its €35 million losses - just under €16 million in 2011, and €20 million in 2012.

The figures testify to the problems Arriva Malta encountered in fulfilling its 10-year obligation to deliver a timely service for an extensive route network that was devised by the previous administration, and which had to be tweaked several times due to numerous commuter complaints.

Arriva has asked for an extension to respond to a technical report drawn up by experts appointed by the ministry and Transport Malta, the industry regulator.

The contents of the report have not yet been divulged. A magisterial inquiries is being carried out into the three bus burning incidents.