Co-op Services Ltd filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court yesterday when it requested the authorities to take action against what it called the unauthorised transport of foreign students by route buses.

The company filed its protest against the Transport Authority, the Minister for Roads and Urban Development, the Motor Insurance Pool and the Malta Tourism Authority.

The company claimed it represented 80 per cent of minibus owners and operators.

These owners depended on the transport of foreign students to make up their earnings in summer. But they claimed that route buses were illegally and abusively transporting these students.

The minibus owners all paid their annual contributions to the MTA, but this was not the case with route bus owners.

Despite this, the bus owners were transporting the students.

The company added that the route buses were undercutting the minibuses on this transport scheme, and that the buses' insurance premia were subsidised by the government. This was not the case with minibuses.

The company further pointed out that the motor insurance pool had, last year, requested an increase of 31 per cent in the insurance premia for minibuses, and after negotiations the increase was of 15 per cent.

This year, the pool had requested an increase of nine per cent in premia, while the justified increase was in fact, two per cent.

Co-Op Services Ltd protested about the manner in which it was forced to purchase its insurance from the motor insurance pool.

This, it said was an antiquated policy that made no sense in the context of a free market.

The company concluded its protest by calling upon the authorities to stop the abusive transport of foreign students by route buses.

It also called upon the Motor Insurance Pool to provide it with information of the claims filed by minibus owners and to stop requesting unjustified increases in insurance premia.

Lawyer Chris Cilia acted for Co-Op Services Ltd.