Sarah Carabott
Student heckles Transport Minister over bus service
University student Nicolà Abela Garrett yesterday gave Transport Minister Austin Gatt a piece of her mind over the bus service and was hailed for doing so. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
A University student yesterday stole the limelight when she heckled Transport Minister Austin Gatt during the launch of a €250,000 ICT project on campus saying he should be “ashamed” of the new bus service.
Those present fell silent and watched 20-year-old Nicolà Abela Garrett who, addressing Dr Gatt, repeatedly shouted: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The final-year, theatre studies student said it had taken her two hours to reach her destination by bus. Students, she complained, were missing lectures because of the “ridiculous service”. Yet, Ms Abela Garrett continued, the minister said he lost no sleep following an opposition motion calling for his resignation over the chaotic start to the public transport reform.
Dr Gatt walked away without as much as acknowledging her solo protest at which point the outburst took a vulgar turn with a remark Ms Abela Garrett later said she regretted.
After the incident, a calmer Ms Abela Garrett said that, as a frustrated commuter, she had thought about who was responsible for the irregular service. “I’m not a disruptive student... I’m sorry I swore at the minister but he made me wait in the basking sun for two hours on the bus stop while I’m sure he has his Jaguar.
“I’m sorry I made a scene but it’s been four months now and the complaints we lodged have fallen on deaf ears,” she said, adding she had filed some seven complaints with Arriva’s customer care service people, whom she said were as “clueless” as bus commuters.
She said it took her two hours to travel from Attard to Naxxar yesterday, when the Arriva website said the trip should not take longer than 40 minutes.
Last week, the student said she had arrived late for an appointment she had with her thesis supervisor and in summer it had been “very tiring” to commute to Sliema where she had a job.
Ms Abela Garrett’s Facebook wall was immediately inundated with compliments. Deemed a hero by her Facebook friends, the young student’s action stirred opposing reactions from timesofmalta.com readers. While some commended her freedom of speech, others criticised the fact that she was vulgar.
University officials approached her after the incident and told her the language was unbecoming and that the campus was not the place for such complaints.
Some four hours later, Transport Malta issued a statement about the Mater Dei Hospital/University of Malta direct service, saying that 45 buses an hour served the link and these would increase to 52 when the remaining connections kicked off.
“At this point, every locality in Malta will have a direct link both to Mater Dei Hospital and to the University... Compared to the 22 buses per hour which operated within the old service, it is clear that both frequency and connectivity have drastically increased,” a TM spokesman said.
TM insisted that while it was still early to evaluate service consumption, the increase in traffic since Monday had affected travelling time.
“Buses are definitely not overloaded when terminating at Mater Dei or the University,” it added. The Times has however witnessed buses filled to capacity unable to take on more passengers from Mater Dei to their respective destinations.
Several students insisted that during the first three days of this scholastic year they experienced delays of up to an hour in their arrival at the University.
The Labour Party has launched a public transport campaign calling on the public to recommend amendments to the routes to provide the “best possible service”. Opinions are being welcomed on trasportpubbliku@partitlaburista.org.
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22 Comments
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Mark Cassar
Oct 7th 2011, 05:15
QUOTE The increase in traffic since Monday has affected travelling time UNQUOTE. Go to the University car-park and realise why there is so much traffic on the road. The majority of students / lecturers and school teachers / employees still use private cars. This problem is not going away soon.
Joe Gatt
Oct 6th 2011, 10:57
Nicolà Abela Garrett got real Spirit, well done.
This Girl got B..l. lots of B.ll.
Unlike most, who are mere followers, having same difference as Sheep.
Keep it up girl.
Wayne Dimech
Oct 6th 2011, 10:46
Well Done!! We need more people like Ms. Abela Garrett. Where is the freedom of speech in Malta? How come you cannot even do your complaint to the concerned minister! Last July, when Arriva had just begun, they were receiving thousands of complaints a day. After 3 weeks they told us that on 11th Sept 2011 the service will be as it should be. It’s 6th Oct 2011 and the service is the same as it was last July or slightly …slightly better. But as Ms. Abela said, it’s a SHAME that you have to wait for 2 Hrs on the Bus Stop when it should pass every 40 min.
Ivan Camilleri
Oct 6th 2011, 10:35
I admit ARRIVA are not serving the country as promised, albeit progress has been made.
However, one must admit, since the service was inaugurated, ARRIVA tried to amend, fix & also create new routes in order to better serve the public. I repeat : more needs to be done.... but its a start. One can't however fail to note that in certain aspects, this service is already better than the one we had, better buses, better manners & a couple of new routes which offer new voyage possibilities.
Did the previous service offer any of the above? Especially customer care or at least any acknowledgement for complains? ARRIVA amended it's service & routes 3 times in a few months. How many times in 50 YEARS, the old regime changed it's operations?? Is this not a good sign that ARRIVA are trying to compromise, hence serve the public better?
This student chose to voice her concerns, rightly so, against Dr.Gatt, hence to the Govt.....
I have a question for her now:
I suppose you saw what happened to university students in the UK & ITALYright???? You know what happened right??
I guess you ought to THANK TOO...........& BIG TIME............!!!!!!!!
No more said.....
Paul Micallef
Oct 7th 2011, 13:48
Better hux. Stenna xi saghtejn fuq stage u tara kemm hu 'better'!
Mr Hans Borg
Oct 6th 2011, 10:34
WIith her outburst Ms Abela Garrett stood up to the sheer arrogance shown by all those involved in the public transport reform fiasco. Her choice of words reflects the general public's opinion on the subject. She may have used crude words whilst the Minister opted for his usual vulgar and insulting attidude by replying "No problem"!
C. Abela
Oct 6th 2011, 09:52
As a theatrical student, I am sure Ms Abela made the grade. Her facial expression is enigmatic, Grecian players would have hardly succeeded in finding a suitable mask for those available either expressed sorry or mirth. Hers is the kind of an exalted student who managed to insult an elected Minister, enjoying every minute of it and making it her day.
Very prudently she asked pardon for having used base language, under pressure and ‘still to acquire’ controls of emotions her standards were exposed, and obviously noted.
Excuse this parentheses, I never had any student’s stipends. Can anyone enlighten me which country in Europe gives these? In my young days the ‘pence’ for bus, given, I saved for other uses and went on foot, I still make good use of these good Lord natural gifts, later when I wanted to travel abroad for studies I did that from hard gained jobs and dug hard into my pockets.
I would humbly suggest our young students to take opportunity of their summer months, go abroad on working and study holidays. They have to learn that life is not 'a stage' it's real, rough, hard, terribly demanding and competition is ferocious. Local politics I am afraid is feeding the poison seeds of multifaceted ‘Eldorado’s’ and the end result is generally speaking, a community of eternally moaning and weeping retarded adulthoods.
As always in life there are two sides of the coin. I am a pensioner , I never had a car, but still I am enjoying every minute of my bus rides.
Mr Maria Camilleri
Oct 6th 2011, 09:32
Not such a vulgar comment, she just said it as it is...
Mr Joseph Sammut
Oct 6th 2011, 09:28
Ms Abela Garrett's reaction was just a result of a consequence which she and countless of other commuters have been suffering since the start of the new bus service. Min jaf kemm ikellmuh hazin lil Austin gatt minn wara dahru. At least this young lady had the guts to do it in the face of the most arrogant minister around. Wara kollox ma waqatx id-dinja!
Fran Abela
Oct 6th 2011, 10:54
Mr. Sammut - nothing, but nothing justifies vulgar comments. It takes no guts to be rude - in an argument one must never lose one's self-control because one automatically loses the argument. Speaking out in a calm and polite manner one can make one's point - the days of shouting abuse and vulgarity to make a point is a thing of the past.
Peter Gatt
Oct 6th 2011, 09:22
Ms Abela Garrett is a brave girl.
What I find dispicable about the incident is not what Ms Garrett said but that after her outburst directed to Dr Gatt, a University official approached her in a style reminiscent of the KGB. The man adopted a menacing attitude to chastise the girl. This can be seen on a U-tube clip.
The University may not agree with what Ms Garrett thinks or says, but it does not have the right to curb free speech. Who authorised the action of this University official cum KGB official? Why does the University employ such people? to threaten students? I believe that the University should make an inquiry on this incident, not on what Ms Garrett said (Dr Gatt may want to do that, but he declared that he doesn't care) but about the actions of this official.
Mr Hamish Dempster
Oct 6th 2011, 10:07
under which you tube clip name?
Fran Abela
Oct 6th 2011, 10:57
What do you mean by free speech - insulting a Minister is free speech ? - Of course she has a right to air her frustrations but you do not do it that way. Threatening students - you must be joking of course. Officials are there to keep order. If the students are feeling threatened then they should protest - all of them - as they did when they did not have enough parking spaces and other things.
Mr Patrick Zammit
Oct 6th 2011, 09:10
If more people were like Ms Abela Garrett, many aspects of life in Malta would improve.
S. Camilleri
Oct 6th 2011, 08:25
Frustration can make you do some regrettable things. And when faced with such an arrogant Minister I do not really blame Ms.Garrett.
She may have lost her calm but at least she apologised and at the end of the day she had the courage to be
counted; something many of us tend to leave to others.
Mr Victor vella
Oct 6th 2011, 08:20
We are really governed by a ruthless and arrogant regime. People waiting for long hours in the sun and in the rain to get a bus is unheard in a country of only 18 miles. The regime has luxury cars with drivers and the oppressed have to walk it. Just to wait hours for a bus, might as well it is better to walk it. That is why Gonzi the hypo said that he has par idejn sodi so that you can have par saqajn sodi. I do not know why during the labour era people would protest and chain themselves just for nothing and today people just zip their mouths and accept all types flaggelations by a ruthless and arrogant regime that shows no concern to anybody. It could be that the PN regime has drugged these people to a saintly nation of a European denomination of slumber and apathy.
Paul Micallef
Oct 6th 2011, 08:18
Well Done Ms! I just hope that, since members from the transport authorities have filmed you talking to other media, they won't do anything to make your life a hell!
Mr Kevin Zammit
Oct 6th 2011, 08:10
Nicolà .... grazzi hafna .... hafna. Nies bhalek ghandu bzonn dan il pajjiz
Mr Hamish Dempster
Oct 6th 2011, 08:03
We love you MS Garret for haveing the guts to stand up and make yourself counted. It is a pity that you did not ha ve any rotten tomatoes as well.
Manquareiel De Caveden
Oct 6th 2011, 07:47
So there is some life in University students after all!
Well done Ms. Abela Garrett for speaking your mind, you have every right to do so.
WE have every right to do so.
Mr Anthony Mizzi
Oct 6th 2011, 07:34
Miss Abela Garrett truly deserves a National Honour for putting a voice to the people's frustrations with her youthful enthusiasm a National Honour...... , if not Gieh ir-Republika, surely in the Order of Merit for standing up to Arrogance!
.
Well Done!
John Scerri
Oct 6th 2011, 07:32
The Labour Party has launched a public transport campaign calling on the public to recommend amendments to the routes to provide the “best possible service”. Opinions are being welcomed on trasportpubbliku@partitlaburista.org.
OK...AGREED.. IMMA
LET'S NOT START ALL OVER AGAIN .
ALL IS SAID AND ARRIVA, TM, LOCAL COUNCILS, THE MINISTRY HAVE MADE A MESS.
THEY MUST AMEND WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT .
MLP CAN LOOK UP ALL THE COMMENTS ON ARTICLES RELATED TO ARRIVA ON THIS NEWS PAPER .