Prime Minister does not exclude Arriva pull-out

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat says government is putting forward its proposals on public transport and does not rule out Arriva departing.

28 October 2013, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has not excluded the public transport service provider Arriva may pull-out from Malta.

The government and Arriva are still locked in talks, as public transport users are still not satisfied with the service and bendy-buses remain off the roads.

The government has now put forward its proposals to improve the service, including amending a number of routes.

"The service being given is disappointing and I will not be satisfied until these issues are resolved. The simple reality is that people are not being served," Muscat said.

He added that while it was evaluating the proposals, Arriva had its own proposals and decisions to make.

"Arriva has decisions to take and we will not be satisfied until results are achieved. People are not satisfied with the service, and students are complaining," Muscat said.

The Prime Minister also confirmed the government was not excluding Arriva pulling out.

Asked to confirm whether it was true that Paramount Coaches Malta were setting up a consortium to take over the public bus service, Muscat said discussions with Arriva were still going on.

On his part, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi this morning insisted that the government already had a "plan B" in case of an Arriva departure from Malta.

"Whatever happens we will ensure that a bus service will continue to be delivered," he said.

Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

More from Miriam Dalli

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Arriva arriva "If arriva should decide to pull out? Our new government should consider taking the public transport into its own hands eg, buying buses and employing bus drivers on a contract basis with decent conditions ,plus bring back the old bus routes and village bus terminals with a bit of spring cleaning on the old routes ,I have talked to many bus commuters who also agree' maybe once and for all we could have a better service and use the public transport more often.

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it didnt have to come to this extreme if the plans were drawn realistically in the first place. this government is trying to sort this uncalled for mess in it is best possible option.

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Whoever is to blame for the mess the Public Transport is in does not really matter now. Unfortunately there is a contract that both parties are signed up to. That contract will eventually be gone over by many solicitors and other legal experts and as usual both parties end up paying the additonal costs which are accuring by the day. If Arriva leave the problem will only have just begun for both Govt and the next operator. Both will be under greater pressure to deliver a service that betters that of Arriva at a lower cost which will be downright impossible in the end. It is wise that present discussions are concluded to a satisfactory if not a happy end. It will save both parties face and lots of money which lawyers from both sides will enjoy for many years to come while the ultimate financial claims and counterclaims are evaluated.

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@konfuxu: good governance mandates the necessity of having plan "B" and possibly plan "C" as well in the eventuality of a pull out by Arriva. On the other hand the Government cannot allow itself to be blackmailed into submission. Ever since I was little, many many moons away, I was always told that no one is indispensable and so it is. So provided plans are in hand, ARRIVA can pack their bags and go.

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It is impossible for the Arriva service to ever work efficiently and punctually until our roads are so clogged with traffic. It is a chicken-and-egg scenario. To unblock the situation Government must first support with policies which change the culture of commuting to work, for example by disincentivising commuters from using their car, limiting traffic to only delivery lorries, taxis, salespeople, etc., barring trucks from entering town centres, ensuring goods deliveries are made very early morning or late night, etc. Then Arriva must do its bit by ensuring timeliness, and proper exploitation of ICTs.

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Hope that everyone in this cobweb knows what he or she is doing as this now have surpassed the level of reasoning and most probable either the government or Arriva have to eat their words. It is far fetched to think that any plan 'B' is available.

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Good riddance to bad rubbish. Arriva and the ex most honourable Austin Gatt made one big cock-up after another and the service has been atrocious ever since. The outlying villages are not being served well with routine cancellations of route times at no notice to users who have to spend long hours waiting for service. Some buses do not even serve certain villages such as Ghaxaq and villagers have to walk from Bir id-deheb to Ghaxaq in order to avoid extremely long delays. So all in all, it is a bad service, has been and still is. And if Arriva does not want to accept this, the sooner they pack their bags, their bendybuses included, the better.

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I am not privy to goings on, but had I been on ARRIVA's board, I would welcome this opportunity to extract my business from this applied madness intricately weaved by Wistinu & cronies. After all Tumas Group did just that after only one year. Thanks Austin/Lorry/RCC for this extended f*ck up.

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Malta L-EWWEL u Qabel KOLLOX. Prosit Joseph u kull minn jiggieled ghal MALTA. Dejjem emmint f'dan il-Pajjiez jien. Wahidna dejjem morna ahjar f'kollox.