Greens say bickering over public transport a ‘disservice’ to commuters

The tit-for-tat on the public transport service between government and the opposition is a disservice to commuters, Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson Ralph Cassar said.

The bickering between the two parties, couples with “the impression given by the PN that public transport can come cheap” is a disservice to commuters and to the concept of public transport in general, Cassar said.

“It is patently obvious that the previous government went for cost cutting at the expense of a reliable bus service. We all know about the very long routes and the lack of buses which plagued the service from the very beginning,” he added.

The Green Party secretary-general pointed out that an efficient public transport system cannot be run without adequate public funding, adding that only a well planned and well financed system, intended to reduce and increase public spaces, “will lead to benefits which are well worth the investment.”

Warning that society is ignoring the congestion, pollution and noise caused by traffic “at its own peril,” Cassar said that government must make a choice between having an efficient public transport system or more congestion and more car parks, “which in turn lead to even more congestion.”

He also lashed out at the Nationalist Party for “hinting” that public transport is a burden on taxpayers, saying that the opposition “has not understood a thing about sustainable mobility.”

The public transport service was nationalised in the beginning of 2014 after Arriva transferred its assets to government.

When the national public transport company took over the Arriva Malta operations for a nominal €1, Malta Public Transport Services Ltd absorbed €7.9 million in total debts.

Earlier this week, transport minister Joe Mizzi announced that three companies have submitted their bids to operate Malta’s public transport service.