The big surprise for this new year was that Arriva has pulled out of its deal with the Transport Authority. This fills me with a sense of foreboding, partly because I can see no one but the Chinese wishing to run our public transport system.
The Chinese need as much influence in Europe as they can get, and they may be in a position to lose large sums of money without undue clamour, especially as they provide us with large, very decent buses, albeit without Chinese engines.
Arriva, owned by the Germans with an English spin-off, got caught on its own petards by not getting the full cooperation of the local councils, who actually know what is required in each locality for the provision of a safe and fast transport system.
Councils are also fully aware of the mix of large and small buses required during various times of the day to make the maximum use of the transport system.
They are also aware that the need for buses to run to Mater Dei Hospital from all localities is probably an unnecessary inconvenience for thousands of commuters who desperately need to get from A to B as quickly as possible.
If, as reported, Arriva was running at a weekly loss of nearly €2 million, it’s not particularly difficult to work out that we must pay almost double the existing bus fare for the new company to make a profit. No local consortium will take on a loss-making transport system and the taxpayer will be paying for every euro subsidised by the government.
It is, of course, right and proper that visitors pay the same bus fare as the local population. Certain express routes possibly using the major highways with local pick-up and alighting areas would be perfectly suitable for the much-maligned bendy buses.
100 years of Aston Martin
On a happier note, Aston Martin cars celebrated 100 years of manufacture last year.
The eight local members of the Aston Martin Owners Club, fully cosseted here with their own area representative with seven cars had an inaugural meeting courtesy of club member Angelo Xuereb at one of his venues in Qawra.
Four beautiful examples of the current selection vied with three classics – a DB6, less expensive than the ‘James Bond’ DB5, and, in fact, a better car, a very fine DB4, and a 1954 DB2/4.
The DB2 looked positively pre-war in comparison to the contemporary-looking DB4, although only six years separate them.
Three more classics are known to exist: a DBS6 from Zabbar should be back on the road by April; another lies complete, except for the replacement of front springs, neglected and unloved in Gozo; and an Mk III that blew its engine at Ta’ Qali in 1969 lies uncared for in a barn in Zabbar.
Members are attempting to attract the remaining Aston owners into the club so that a little competition may be given to Jaguar owners, who seem to rule the roost if one discounts the large number of Ferrari types – as one does if inclinations spread towards classic cars.
It might be said that gas-fired motors seemed to be the flavour of the month, but let me put a sorry tale before you. A young man was sent by his dad over to the UK to undertake a course in converting petrol engines so that they could run on gas.
He came back certified by the UK, paid €1,000 for the full conversion kit for a Landrover. It was then taken to a certain Mosta VRT station, which not only failed it but also was unhelpful and factually rude to the owner, a woman rally driver. One year on, after doing all things possible, the gas conversion was removed and the Landrover was successfully tested with its normal petrol engine.
This is a sorry tale, especially as I have friends who were running their normal cars here 25 years ago with gas cylinders lying in the boot of the car.
I see no reason why this colonial, ‘closed-shop’ mentality should be allowed to stop local youngsters who actually wish to make a career for themselves rather than live on the welfare state.