School transport contractors fined €11,698

School transport contractors were fined a total of €11,698 for trips they did not perform in 2008. Answering a parliamentary question by Evarist Bartolo (PL), Education Minister Dolores Cristina said the Unscheduled Bus Service had been fined €3,496,...

School transport contractors were fined a total of €11,698 for trips they did not perform in 2008.

Answering a parliamentary question by Evarist Bartolo (PL), Education Minister Dolores Cristina said the Unscheduled Bus Service had been fined €3,496, the Mini-Buses Cooperative €4,477 and the Public Transport Association €3,725.

The fines were based on the audit of regular reports by school officers responsible for transport. A number of surprise visits had also been held in schools, especially when non-performance of school trips had been repeated.

Answering another question by Mr Bartolo, Minister Cristina said the Education Directorate had investigated every single report of schoolchildren having been picked up very early for school. Where this had been verified, the respective operator had been advised to stick to his contract.

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