Public transport operators seek assurances from bidder

mario aquilina

Nov 28th 2009, 10:07

@ C.Cassar. You hit the nail on the head.
Throw the buses away, new and old, including their drivers and bus inspectors who got the habit of chatting with the driver while the bus is on the move, and start afresh. What we need is a decent, comfortable ,on time service.
Give the drivers a decent uniform, and teach them how to dress smart, followed by a lecture on customer care. Teach them how to give the right change. Organize a bus garage/wash where all the buses have to be cleaned regularly. Stop the buses from being half washed on the bus terminus. That way, we passengers do not have to have buckets, brooms and dirty water containers in our faces, which are kept in the luggage compartment, on display.
I'd rather pay a higher fare, if I can get an efficient service, like the one my neighbours in Europe have been receiving since the end of the second world war.
If it has to be an outsider who can show us the way, so be it. It is not easy to teach an old monkey new tricks.

p.ellul

Nov 27th 2009, 17:51

@c.cassar who on earth told you that my bus is 40 yrs old? i already told you to come and see for yourself. contact the times if you want and they will give you my number i'll be more than glad to show you my bus. il problema f'dan il pajjiz li mal hazin jehel it tajjeb ukoll dejjem hekk konna u hekk ha nibqaw. dan il punt li ridt nghid. u kif diga investejt fix xarabank li ghandi kapaci li nerga ninvesti u ngib trakk iktar modern ukoll ghax dan huwa xogholna u il hobza taghna ta kuljum imma x jiswa li ninvesti issa la kollox ser itih mar rih u l investiment li ghamilna ahna ser jintrema. ghidli li kieku kont int x'kont taghmel ghax tidher li tifhem kollox mela illuminani int mr cassar

p.ellul

Nov 27th 2009, 17:50

@c.cassar who on earth told you that my bus is 40 yrs old? i already told you to come and see for yourself. contact the times if you want and they will give you my number i'll be more than glad to show you my bus. il problema f'dan il pajjiz li mal hazin jehel it tajjeb ukoll dejjem hekk konna u hekk ha nibqaw. dan il punt li ridt nghid. u kif diga investejt fix xarabank li ghandi kapaci li nerga ninvesti u ngib trakk iktar modern ukoll ghax dan huwa xogholna u il hobza taghna ta kuljum imma x jiswa li ninvesti issa la kollox ser itih mar rih u l investiment li ghamilna ahna ser jintrema. ghidli li kieku kont int x'kont taghmel ghax tidher li tifhem kollox mela illuminani int mr cassar

J Farrugia

Nov 27th 2009, 17:29

I suggest to these consortia to ignore these i bus drivers. Their master went on record stating that the service will remain the same, only the operator will change since they will adminsiter this new bus service. If this is true then dont accept the tender and walk away from it, since there will be losses. It's either your discipline or your losses. I hope that the new administrators will heed this humble advice, so that they wont waste their time counting their losses. Otherwise being foreign bus drivers. Today we are in europe and as Maltese busdrivers went abroad, so also you can bring here foreigners to manage the service.

joseph saliba

Nov 27th 2009, 17:10

Awesome!! Good luck to all - comuters, transport workers, transport company. But above all the brave and Honorable Doctor Austin Gatt a true representative of the people.

Joe Tabone-Adami

Nov 27th 2009, 15:43

Who was it who said "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? How right he was!! Perhaps Messrs Joe Gasan and Francisco Luciano will do well to keep this in mind!!

C Cassar

Nov 27th 2009, 14:03

@p.ellul : Well, you say you look after your bus but any bus driver would say that. Unfortunately,there has been so little investment by owner/drivers and it's plain to see. Most of the buses are producing illegal emissions and poisoning even their own families.

I put this question to you. Whey don't you buy a bus of ths same standards as in Gernamny, Austria, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland etc?? Why carry on with vehicles that are at least 40 years old? Buses in these countries are changed every 15 years and more importantly are maintained to manufactures specifications, not some guy down a filthy garage who does it as cheaply as possible and has no idea of the manufacturers servicing specifications. Sorry, no excuses. You have had many chances and now it's over.

Mr B J Simmons

Nov 27th 2009, 11:34

This will be an interesting exercise, if it is ever allowed to happen. Drivers with a good knowlege of local roads (and potholes) will be needed and not quite all the Maltese bus drivers are a disgrace. The first two comments below this piece raise some excellent points, but one hopes that a new company from overseas will have the strength to carry though the needed improvements without interference from disgruntled present operatives.

One would love a service similar to that in the UK for service, but offering a good service with fair prices and wages. There will be a sharp learning curve on all sides if this change ever sees the light of day.

Such a great holiday destination deserves a much improved bus service and I look forward to seeing it, but it must not be overpriced.

p.ellul

Nov 27th 2009, 11:34

@c.cassar.
veru jdejquni nies bhalek li jitfghu lil kulhadd f keffa wahda.
jien owner u nista nghidlek li nzomm ix xarabank tieghi fl isbah u l ahjar kundizzjoni possibli.ir-ragel dejjem taha servizz tajjeb pjuttost nazzarda nghid li tajjeb hafna ghax jirringrazzjawh hafna nies matul il gurnata tax-xoghol tieghu.x tahseb li ghandu jaghmel zewgi allura issa jmur jirregistra ghax min jiehu it tender ma jimpjegahx u imbghad tigi int trabbieli 3 itfal u thallasli il loan. hallina trid.jekk driver ghamel xogholu sew u qatt ma rcieva rapporti ma narax ghalfejn ma ghandux ikun impjegat.nispera li fhimt il punt tieghi.u jekk int interressat ejja u ara ix xarabank tieghi halli tkun taf f'liema stat qieghed. ur more than welcome forsi titghallmu ma tiggudikawx lil kulhadd l istess.

C Cassar

Nov 27th 2009, 10:05

Some advice for any foreign company that is part of the consortia bidding for the new transport tender. Do not even think of using any local bus drivers. If you do, many local residents and tourists will not use your service.

The 150 drivers should have their contracts ended immediately the selected consortia starts operation. New drivers should be brought in from other parts of Europe that are used to running an effective transport system.

The local drivers are un-trainable and are the sole reason for the current terrible transport offering. They own their buses and have never had any intent on anything apart from pocketing as much of the goverment subsidies as possible over the last 40 years. Virtually none of this has been spent on the vehicles or anything else. Just come and take a look and see the state of the vehicles and the drivers. Once you see these guys, you might want to either pull out of the tender or persuade the government to fire them and ban them from being employed in any future public transport system in Malta before you commit to investing your time and money.

Chris Finch

Nov 27th 2009, 09:52

Can the general public also have some assurances from those bidding that they will do away with the current crop of rude, arrogant, ignorant, dangerous and abusive public transport operators that grace our roads?
Unless they get rid of these then only the price will improve (in the operators favour of course).