Ministry says ruling against ADT vindicates liberalisation plans

The transport ministry yesterday welcomed the tough judgment of the Commission for Fair Trading (CFT) against the Malta Transport Authority (ADT), saying it was wind in the sails of its planned liberalisation of the sector.

In its ruling, the CFT said that the ADT had not been objective in its reasons for delaying the issue of permits to the Garden of Eden Garage for three open-top buses. The commission said the regulator was only lengthening the process to favour the operator's direct competitors.

In its statement yesterday, the ministry said the judgment confirms that it is not the job of the authority to stifle and manipulate the market, adding that the judgment also confirms that markets need to be open ones.

"This is the principle which the government wants to introduce in all the public transport sectors where restrictions still exist, in sectors such as the white taxis, coaches and minivans," the ministry said.

The sentence also confirmed that the government or the authority should not act as an adjudicator of who can or cannot take part in a liberalised market. With the present restrictions, the authority is only safeguarding the objectives of the service providers rather than the consumers, the ministry added.