Bus drivers display pay slip and expenses

Taking a break under the shady trees at the Valletta terminus, bus drivers attempted to defend their position as people fumed and public opinion stacked higher against them.

Most of them lounged on the grass in a vest and shorts and some were even accompanied by their wives and children who showed up to support them through the long slog.

In the meantime, workers and tourists were seething as they legged it out of the terminus, manoeuvring through the empty buses, parked haphazardly along the road leading to Floriana.

Bus drivers were perfectly aware that the public was not sympathising with their cause but as one bus driver pointed out: "By sitting around I'm not losing money because I'm saving on fuel".

George Cutajar, a bus owner who seemed to be his friends' unofficial spokesman, condemned the violence and attacks, which were caused by "a few troublemakers".

He stressed that they were not against liberalisation as long as it was done "justly and fairly", adding that the newly-established Transport Federation was striking because the government chose to target the hearses first - the small fish in the sea.

Producing a brown envelope, Mr Cutajar displayed his payslip for two weeks, working seven days a week, which amounted to €1,054. From this he had to fork out about €100 a day on fuel, another €10 daily for insurance, plus garage costs.

They complained that they were happy to go with the agreement previously proposed by former Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett but now everything had "gone with the wind".

Raymond Aquilina provided a copy of his last bus garage service, which he has to do every month, and which cost over €600 in labour and parts.

Replying to Transport Minister Austin Gatt's threats to withdraw their subsidies, Mr Aquilina said that, at the end, the government was subsidising the elderly and students.

"It's useless threatening us. I'm happy to sit around; I'm neither earning nor losing much money at this rate".