The company that will run Malta’s bus service from July yesterday promised a radical shift that will take public transport from a service “of the 1950s to one for 2020”.

Speaking ahead of the signing ceremony for the contract between the government and transport multinational Arriva yesterday, project manager Piers Marlow outlined what people should expect, drawing on the company’s track record running transport services across 11 countries in Europe.

Arriva CEO David Martin said at the signing ceremony later in the evening: “Arriva has an excellent track record of delivering high quality bus, rail, tram and waterbus operations across Europe. Our expertise and experience of improving operational standards, customer service, passenger satisfaction, and of course, employee satisfaction is second to none. And we are looking forward to replicating this success in Malta.”

Mr Marlow’s presentation to journalists included a campaign in Copenhagen where Arriva managed to reverse dwindling commuter figures, and where the company set about promoting a “loving” feeling towards public transport after surveys and focus groups flagged a longing among commuters for a personal touch.

Mr Marlow insisted the company was committed to deliver a reliable, eco-friendly service run by drivers trained in customer care.

He defended Maltese bus drivers – Arriva will employ around 400 – saying the bad reputation they gained was likely to have been earned by a minority. However, when pressed on whether the company was confident that they were re-trainable, he did not mince his words.

“There are standards and ways of behaviour we expect our drivers to reach. If they do not meet these standards, that person cannot be a driver with us.”

The training, both for experienced drivers and others who are not (the company will have to employ another 380 or so drivers to reach its targeted complement), will be given extensive training by qualified professionals employed with Arriva elsewhere in Europe.

Mr Marlow defended the proposal to charge tourists a higher rate than residents, saying Transport Malta and Arriva arrived at that conclusion together during negotiations.

“We were quite happy to support the idea because we have seen similar systems being implemented elsewhere in Europe,” he said.

One official for the company later pointed out there were similar distinctions between residents and tourists in Estonia and Venice, on services not operated by Arriva. However, Arriva itself was piloting a similar scheme in Mallorca and Minorca.

The idea has caused a controversy, with tourist organisations saying it sends the wrong message. While he did not offer an opinion on the legality of the two-tier system, Mr Marlow suggested an alternative could be found through giving discounts to regular users should the EU have a problem with the system.

The company did not have a clear-cut answer when asked whether passengers would be asked to show ID cards to the bus driver every time they boarded a bus. However, when asked how this preferential treatment could be enforced for tickets bought on the internet, the project manager responsible for this department, Keith Bastow, said there could be random checks.

The company also seems relatively positive about the problems it may face with Malta’s traffic congestion and the state of the roads.

Mr Marlow said Transport Malta had carried out a review of the routes to iron out any such problems but pointed out that Arriva would be carrying out its own survey, which includes having every bus type drive through all the designated routes.

However, he also highlighted how the company plans to deal with chronic congestion. Arriva plans to keep a spare pool of buses and drivers specifically to be deployed during peak hours and in cases of congestion.

Moreover, with GPS technology and a central dispatch station which could monitor the situation on the roads, many problems could be avoided, he said.

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