Public transport: Both sides of the coin

Several weeks had passed since the last mention of public transport and people had practically forgotten all about the strike which took place this summer. Until a few days ago when Minister Austin Gatt decided to have a closer look at one particular sector: white taxis. Dr Gatt seems to think that European citizens don't use taxis when in Malta due to poor safety, high tariffs due to lack of competition, and bad reputation.

Firstly, I can't understand the poor safety part. Many of the white taxis are new or very modern vehicles and include all safety features the best European luxury car would have anywhere else. I cannot agree more with Dr Gatt regarding the high tariffs but I hardly expect the drivers (or any other human being) to reduce their prices voluntarily. If the Malta Transport Authority is not managing to penalise abusers and keep a closer watch on what is happening, then maybe Dr Gatt should start by reforming ADT before anything else. If taxi drivers overcharge, it is because they have no fear of any circumstances. When was the last time anyone heard or read about a driver being fined for overcharging.

Regarding lack of competition, I really do hope this was only part of Dr Gatt's ironic sense of humour. One simply needs to utter the word "taxi" in a tourist area and they'd find themselves being pulled apart from every limb by several haggling taxi drivers. If you don't fancy a white taxi, then maybe you would like a black one, or grey or blue or any other colour that tickles your fancy. One could even have a limo or a Rolls Royce if they dug a bit deeper in their pockets. If one wants to travel for the price of peanuts then there is always the red or white minibuses which would drop you off after making a few stops on the way.

If ever I see a tourist looking in vain for a taxi at the airport or anywhere else at any time of day, then I would see Dr Gatt's point of increasing the number by 10 per cent or 20 per cent at a time (not 180 per cent). It is bad enough as it is seeing a line of white taxis parked in line with their drivers waiting for hours. Why triple the number? As we have seen with the hearses, liberalisation has not reduced the prices for a funeral. In fact, since the hearse owners are making fewer trips per week, leading to a lower weekly income due to the increase of hearses, I wouldn't be surprised if the prices went up.

I am all for improving the existing system. Yes, let's educate our drivers as proposed.

Let's have a more efficient and fast acting transport authority. Let's install better meters and cameras if need be. Let's print price guides for tourists to know what they should be paying. But let's not purposely run these family-run businesses into the ground just because we can.

The general public has many times been misinformed about public yransport by Dr Gatt and since the Malta Labour Party has taken a back seat on this issue, we often only hear one side of the story.

When the strike took place this summer, popular talk shows on national television like Bondiplus and Disset+ were not being shown. Now that the winter television schedule is back on, it would only be fair (and interesting) that a programme on public transport be made. This should include representatives from all parts of the public transport sector expressing their opinions, explaining what they had been promised before the election and even at the end of the strike and asking questions to Dr Gatt himself on air. Dr Gatt would also have the opportunity to explain some things (like the tram) more clearly. I for one have numerous questions I would like to ask.