New operator may use second hand buses, subject to conditions

George Schembri

Jun 4th 2010, 09:15

The best way to squander money is to reinvent the wheel (pun intended), It seems that not much will change in updating public transport. Therefore public transport will continue to be what it is and likewise cars will remain the choice form of transport. But at least some have benfited from this reform in some other way!!

Joseph Aquilina

Jun 3rd 2010, 10:04

I bet this goes in line with the mentality of Minister Austin Gatt to always select “the cheapest by far” for the people rather then what is best for them.

Peter Korsten

Jun 3rd 2010, 08:21

Hmm, in my native Netherlands, they still drive the characteristic trains with the round noses that were first designed in 1964 and last produced in 1973.

First owner, though. ;)

E. Azzopardi

Jun 3rd 2010, 07:59

The people have the right to be sceptical. Euro III is not recommend any longer by the EU..
They are now at Euro 6. So this says it all. In my opinion, we shall still have fuming buses with the same fuming drivers!!!.
That's the reform for you.

Carmel Garcia

Jun 3rd 2010, 07:51

U halluna kwieti. Stajt ghamilt dal-ftehim mal-propretarji tal-buses maltin Dr. Gatt. Kemm ghajjarna lil gvern ta' qabilna bis-second hand telephone, second transport tal-gvern, second hand fil-power station tal-Marsa u faham u mhux faham, u mitt haga ohra. U issa sejrin lura ghas-second hand f'kollox ergajna. Iddahkux nies iktar.

Joey Borg

Jun 3rd 2010, 00:00

so.. i guess we keep getting what we deserve for keeping these people in power.. lets face it, we are 2nd class eu citizens thanks to the servile politicians we have.. Servile definitely not towards us common citizens.

hadn't all current buses passed emissions test.. so we'll get more of the same.. add on top of that same drivers for 10 years... very promising

Nigel Davies

Jun 2nd 2010, 23:23

Here in England we have had privatised contracts for many years. I cannot recollect any time when the contractor has not used second hand buses, albeit with a long term replacement policy. Same is true of the train service. In fact operators frequently do not own vehicles or trains. They lease them and when a new contractor takes over they take over the lease. So I am not at all surprised by the potential arrangement.
On a lighter note I recall a few years ago travelling from St Julians to Sliema on a bus where the door fell off. The driver simply stopped, reattached the door wit an elastic bungee and, to a round of applause, carried on driving. We shall miss the characteristic buses of Malta.

Mikiel Borg

Jun 2nd 2010, 22:08

Din il-famuza Vision 2015 Dr Gonzi? Kollox second hand u mbarazz li ma jghoddx ghal haddiehor? F'hiex gibtuh dan il-pajjiz!!

Charles Busuttil

Jun 2nd 2010, 20:17

I hope that some special buses will be available to carry tourists and their luggages to the Airport. If one were to go on a bus to go to Gudja (Bus No. 8), one would be more than lucky to find a seat to sit on. Tourists use this route instead of hiring a taxi. They pay for their luggage to occupy a seat and commuters have to stand up in an aisle already cluttered with luggage whose owners did not find enough seats to put them on. Sometimes the aisle is so full of these luggages that is quite impossible for anyone to get out of the bus in case of a serious accident. Furthermore, commuters who board these buses along the route find it quite difficult to do so because these buses arrive nearly always full-up.

Paul Caruana

Jun 2nd 2010, 20:03

Actually, all round congratulations are in order regarding this contract, and the conditions attached to it, including environmental ones. However, from past experiences, problems typically tend to occur during the implementation phase.

Two points;

Who will monitor the tbe buses emissions? Would it be the same authorities that "monitor" the current buses, which apparently are all certified to be within acceptable emission limits?

Who will monitor their punctuality? Again, would it be the same authorities that "monitor" the punctuality of the current buses?

As they say, the devil is in the details...in this case, the effective implementation and monitoring that what is specified in the tender is what will be enacted in practice.

david calleja

Jun 2nd 2010, 19:27

lol!!!!
Only in Malta - so let me get this right, the ''NEW'' OPERATOR - can use buses that are up to 15 years old - must employ for at least 10 years the bus drivers we had....ermmm, pardon my ignorance, but aside from paying the bus owners 100,000 euros for buses we had already purchased five years ago....EXACTLY what will be changing????!!!!
what a farce of a country...

Anthony Debono

Jun 2nd 2010, 19:01

Such conditions go against EU directives. Plain and simple.
In 4 years' time, EURO6 would have been in force for a year!

mario gellel

Jun 2nd 2010, 18:55

MELA L-EWWEL GAB IL-HADDIEM MALTI CHEAP LABOURER, ISSA HA JGIB LIL MALTA KOLLHA SECOND HAND COUNTRY. DIN IL-VISION 2015 LI TRID TAGHMEL MINNA SUR GONZI????

P Micallef

Jun 2nd 2010, 18:53

I hope that the new buses will be of the low floor type to enble wheelchair bound people to be able to go on board. I was utterly ashamed this morning at 11.30a.m. seeing an english speaking wheelchair bound tourist unable to board the 652 bus at The Ferry in Sliema to go to Qawra . To add insult to injury, during the course of the the conversation, the bus despatcher told the individual to board the bus and one of his colleagues would then carry the wheelchair on board. The despatcher was politely told that the individual was in a wheelchair because he could not walk. I could not believe my ears. The last straw was when the despatcher informed the tourist that the first low floor bus from The Ferry to Qawra was scheduled to leave Ferry at 1.30p.m. Which meant that the tourist and those with him had to waste two hours waiting for the low floor bus.

C Cassar

Jun 2nd 2010, 18:19

All the buses used by the new operator must be brand new. After all this is a long term investment and any expenditure will be a business expense, so completely deductable from the new operator's tax bill. In other words, it won't cost the new operator any more in the long run to use new buses.

What's also needed is enforcement of the correct and scheduled maintenance work as specified by the bus manufacturers. Otherwise, stating that a bus must be Euro IV or V is meaningless if it isn't maintained and checks the that maintenance to have taken place haven't been made.

Joseph stafrace

Jun 2nd 2010, 17:47

Does London bendy buses ring a bell?

Leila Gomez

Jun 2nd 2010, 17:13

I hope the new buses have designated pram areas, I find it very difficult to travel by bus as I have a small child and most buses don’t have this facility.

Francis Bellizzi

Jun 2nd 2010, 17:12

It`s customery to have new buses at start of contract in Europe. But of course this is Malta! As someone has already said. this is a second hand island. It must be an early Xmas for the prospective operators .Why replace a diabolical service with another. You can`t make it up.

James Pace

Jun 2nd 2010, 17:11

Mit-tajjeb ghall-ahjar! Sirna l-mizbla tal-karozzi second hand mhux biss tal-Gappun imma issa ta' l-Ewropa wkoll. X'faqar ta' idejat! X'faqar ta' pajjiz!

Andrew Cachia

Jun 2nd 2010, 17:00

nonsense......

Andrew Cumbo

Jun 2nd 2010, 16:59

Oqqqq Ooooo, Back to square one!!!!
Are these the suggestions of the Maltese from the survey submitted recently Hon. Minister Austin Gatt? Make use of second hand buses?

G Chetcuti

Jun 2nd 2010, 16:36

I smell a rat.

J Fenech

Jun 2nd 2010, 16:22

Euro II - Euro IV... I'd rather they make sure that the "Europeans" fit in them and not forced to sit on those terrible rigid seats cramped so closely together that you can hardly get in and out. Maybe since it's on the air pollution subject they could also check we would be able to breathe some of the air too, therefore that they all come with decent windows!

John Micallef

Jun 2nd 2010, 16:04

unbeleivable!!

Kellhom ragun meta ltaqghu ma Gonzi l'ghaqda tal- agenti tal- karozzi qalullu li gabna gzira tas-second hand!!

Peter Spiteri

Jun 2nd 2010, 16:00

So why were not these conditions imposed on the old owners and not granting a foreign company a monopoly on transport in Malta. Is not a monopoly against EU regulations? Why are not other operators allowed to provide a service?
Bye bye to the better air that everyone was thinking we were going to enjoy?

E.Borg

Jun 2nd 2010, 15:59

Prosit tar-restrictions. Qed niftakar f'kuntratt fejn ftit li xejn kien hemm restrictions . . .

D. Scerri

Jun 2nd 2010, 15:52

"In Gozo, all buses must be Euro IV compliant immediately, and they must be Euro V complaint after five years."

When the Euro VI standard will be 2 years old.

Why Gozo only? Why does Malta not deserve the same treatment?