Transport Authority planning night bus service

The Transport Authority is hoping to conclude talks on the introduction of a night bus service throughout Malta in the near future, Transport Minister Censu Galea told parliament yesterday.

He said the process for the replacement of 147 buses was now being speeded up and new buses were entering service every week. Bus owners are being given a subsidy of Lm132,000 for every new bus.

The minister was speaking during the debate on the estimates of the Malta Transport Authority.

At the opening of the debate, Mr Galea observed that this was the first time that the House was debating the estimates of the Transport Authority, which covered every sector of transport. The setting up of the authority (incorporating the former Public Transport Authority) would make for closer coordination in all sectors of transport, from licensing to traffic flow and the state of the roads.

Mr Galea said no one could deny that the Roads Directorate had drastically changed the way roads were built and how contractors tackled the jobs assigned to them. It was true that some works were taking longer, sometimes more than planned, but this was a time of radical change in the way things were done and some people took time to absorb change, or tried to resist it.

Contractors now knew that they were responsible not only for building the roads assigned to them to high standards, but for their good state for a number of years.

In the case of public transport, one should reflect that this did not only incorporate buses but also hire cars, coaches and taxis, among others. In all areas the authority was working to ensure that the quality of service improved.

Many of those who criticised the bus service had not been on a bus for years. The bus service had seen a number of improvements, particularly with regard to the route network and schedules, although more progress remained to be made.

After long-running talks, all the 147 bus owners who had asked to replace their bus had now booked their new vehicles and new buses were entering service every week.

Mr Galea said the Licensing and Testing Directorate had started carrying out a reform of the driving test aimed at introducing three-year licences initially, which would become permanent only when the holders showed they respected regulations.

Labour MP Charles Buhagiar insisted that time limits set for road works needed to be respected. It was not good enough for the minister to say that the contractor responsible for the Burmarrad and Salina roads did not have enough workers. That was not his problem and it was up to the contractor to solve it, by engaging other contractors if needs be. Neither could there be compromise on quality of work.

The contract for the Burmarrad road had been issued in May 2000 and works were meant to finish in a year. But so far only 60 per cent of the project was complete.

The Mtarfa by-pass had to be finished two years ago but work was still underway on the retaining wall, while work on the Mosta ring road had to be completed in 12 months when the tender was issued in May 2000 but it was far from finished. The same could be said for work at San Pawl tat-Targa.

Mr Buhagiar said that although the government was claiming it had a major road works programme for next year, this was not borne out by funding for the purpose.

A Labour government, he said, intended to resurface some 100 roads in residential areas every year and there would be increased emphasis on the arterial network, with resurfacing of the whole Cirkewwa-Marsaxlokk road where it had not been done up already. The situation at black spots would also be improved, such as at the Burmarrad junction, and there would be better traffic management to Cottonera because of the expected increased traffic volume due to the Cottonera project.

Mr Buhagiar said he could not understand how only Lm11,000 had been allocated for transport strategy. This only amounted to the salary of the director.

Mr Buhagiar said the Auditor-General needed to note how road works were being divided into a number of parts to fall below the amount required for the publication of calls for tender by the Department of Contracts. This was an abuse.

Concluding, Mr Buhagiar asked what had happened to the promised EU funds for road works.

Opposition transport spokesman Joe Debono Grech complained about rising insurance costs for car owners. Although there was supposed to be competition in the field, there was actually was a cartel.

These matters, he said, would be controlled by a new Labour government. Insurance costs could not continue to go up as it would soon be impossible for Maltese workers to own a car.

While those who had frequent accidents should pay more, those who did not usually submit claims should not have their rates increased for no reason at all.

Mr Debono Grech said public transport had deteriorated despite fare increases and the people were losing confidence in the service.

It was true that costs had gone up for the bus drivers, but that was why they were getting a state subsidy and the people expected a better return.

Clearly, the buses sector had to be reformed. It was not enough to change bus stop shelters. It was the service in general which needed to be upgraded.

Mr Debono Grech said a Labour government would reform the wardens system. The main purpose of the wardens should not be to issue citations, but to educate the people.

Mr Debono Grech insisted that the authorities should conduct a test of the seaworthiness of cruise boats. Some of those boats had been bought as junk and were now being used for sightseeing by tourists.

One had to ensure that such vessels were seaworthy.

Turning to mini buses, Mr Debono Grech said some of the drivers who carried schoolchildren were irresponsible. It was unacceptable that young children waited for the vans as early as 6.30 a.m. and 7 a.m; that they were packed into vans which then raced against time so that more trips could be performed before 8 a.m. God forbid, an accident was waiting to happen, and yet no one was taking any action. It was also unacceptable that tariffs continued to rise unchecked.

This situation was intolerable and the people had a right to expect that the children were transported in safety.

On the taxi service, Mr Debono Grech said drivers should be told that as soon as Malta joined the bloc, licences could be issued to anyone. The situation regarding cargo handlers needed to be explained.

Concluding, Mr Debono Grech said he agreed on the reform of the driving licence and the driving test so as to instil more discipline on the roads. There was also need for speed cameras to be installed as soon as possible.

Mr Debono Grech also asked if the transport authority would be privatised. He hoped not.

Labour MP Rita Law said that given Malta's size, one should rein in the number of cars. Such a huge number of cars was also causing air quality problems in places such as Fgura.

Winding up, Transport Minister Censu Galea said he was satisfied that the opposition understood that reforms, such as that of the driving test, were required.

Mr Galea said that as from January 1 last year, the VRT started to include an emission test. Vehicles which did not pass the emission test were not allowed on the roads.

Turning to the roads, Mr Galea said people now no longer asked for simple patching up using spalls. This mentality had come to an end and for as long as he was responsible for the roads, work would continue to be done according to high standards.

What Mr Buhagiar had said that Labour would do was only the Roads Department's projections for the next five years. It was the programme on which the department was already working.

Funds for the roads had not come yet from the EU because the Labour government of 1996 had frozen Malta's application for membership. But a total 56 kilometres of road were currently being assessed so that work on them could be financed by the EU. Another 30km were to be financed through the Italian protocol, which was also the result of the EU membership process.

Mr Galea said a whole network of roads was being built in the new hospital area to ensure a better flow of traffic.

An analysis on the safety of bridges all over Malta was in hand.

Referring to the Mtarfa bypass, Mr Galea said nearly a year had been wasted until the necessary permits were acquired. Work on the retaining wall was now nearly finished.

The estimates were approved after a division with 31 in favour and 18 against.

The bus service and the way the wardens operate came in for criticism during yesterday's debate on the Malta Transport Authority.