Scheduled open-top bus services (1)

Reference is made to the editorial entitled When The Playing Field Is All But Level (October 23).

The editorial expresses an opinion about the award by the Commission for Fair Trading in relation to the operation of open-top buses by virtue of which The Times asserts that the manner in which the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) handled the open-top bus issue was intended to give unfair advantage to somebody (column 2, paragraph 3 of the editorial).

The said editorial concludes by soliciting the government to order an inquiry into the ADT and the Office of Fair Competition so that "any snakes and those who helped themselves to forbidden fruit, if so it results, be punished".

It is evident that this opinion is not based on the correct version of events.

Kindly note that the present operation of a scheduled open-top bus service, on designated routes and pre-established stopping points, was the subject of an official public tender process undertaken by the ADT.

In fact, in March 2006 the official tender documents were issued and this in relation to two routes, one designated as the South Route and the other as the North Route.

All interested parties (which, obviously, included Garden of Eden) were invited to submit their offer to operate the service for the provision of open-top buses and tour services on the designated routes.

Offers were actually submitted by two interested parties (none of which was Garden of Eden) and, subsequent, to the appropriate adjudication process, one operator was chosen as the successful bidder.

As stated, Garden of Eden did not submit an offer for this concession and, as a consequence, was not part of the tendering process.

Garden of Eden was not on the "playing field" and even less so was it all but level to its detriment!

Editorial note:
Rather than an assertion by The Times, it was the CFT itself that spoke about an unfair advantage being given to somebody