Buses are not undergoing regular maintenance, according to Labour transport spokesman Joe Sammut, who used “common sense and logic” to justify his comments.

Dr Sammut yesterday raised doubts on the level of maintenance that bus company Arriva had in place.

“With buses running all day, common sense and logic dictate that not enough maintenance is carried out,” he told a press conference.

The set-up sees buses continuously on the go as drivers change shifts, which is contrary to the previous system when buses never changed hands and were rested for long periods.

Dr Sammut also noted that a number of Arriva buses had their tyres changed and the new ones were “hard” and unsuitable for Malta’s roads.

He said this observation was made by industry sources, which he did not name, and called on the Malta Standards Authority to verify the claims.

On Wednesday’s accident at Portes des Bombes, Dr Sammut asked whether the ABS braking system on the buses was working properly. He also asked, given the state of some Arriva buses, whether VRT tests were being carried out.

In a statement, the Transport Ministry pointed out that the buses were not exempt from VRT testing to ensure they were roadworthy. It added that Labour had a right to criticise but it was also its duty to come up with valid alternatives to what it was criticising. Yet, its only suggestion was that the buses’ tyres should be changed.

Dr Sammut criticised the company for its choice of drivers and suggested that this was not in line with good practice. Arriva could not be the instructor, examiner and licence issuer, he added.

The lack of drivers, he said, was the result of Transport Malta’s insistence to prevent experienced drivers who had a tainted police conduct from applying for the job.

Asked what a Labour government would do to solve the transport problems, Dr Sammut said solutions had to start by improving the infrastructure and removing traffic bottlenecks in the road network. A Labour government would have to first see the contract with Arriva before deciding whether it warranted renegotiating aspects of it.

Work on Portes des Bombes to start

Works to restore the historic Portes Des Bombes, in Blata l-Bajda, will start and be completed over the weekend, according to Restoration Directorate director Norbert Gatt.

The estimate to repair and replace the damaged limestone slabs was €4,600 and the amount will include warden and traffic management fees.

The monument, built in 1721 by Grand Master Ramon Perellos, was damaged on Wednesday afternoon when an Arriva bus full of passengers skidded and slammed into its side.

Another two Arriva buses behind it crashed into each other, with one hitting the centre strip.

Twenty-seven passengers and two drivers were injured.

The directorate confirmed it would be seeking compensation from the “entity responsible” for the damage to Portes Des Bombes.

Arriva could still not quantify the extent of damages sustained by its three buses because they were impounded by the authorities as part of police investigations.

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