The 80 unwanted bendy buses will finally leave the island by May 9 after the company that bought them missed the deadline and was given a fresh extension, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.
The controversial articulated buses should have been exported to Sudan nearly a month ago, but Times of Malta revealed that they remain parked in Floriana’s Horns Works ditch.
A promise of sale agreement had been originally been signed between the Transport Ministry and the owners of Calypso Garage on February 18 for €601,200.
The government was faced with a situation where it either lost the sale or extended the contract
A statement issued on that day by the Department of Information had said the company was bound to export the bendy buses, as well as all the spare parts, within four weeks of signing the promise of sale on February 21.
However, sources said the Maltese contractor had encountered obstacles when it came to exporting the buses and the government was faced with a situation where it either lost the sale – not a desirable situation – or extended the contract. It chose the latter option.
The contract was signed with Trihills, represented by Joe Cassar, on Friday according to a Transport Ministry spokeswoman, who said all the conditions had been satisfied.
“The contract for the sale of buses says it will provide the buyer four weeks to remove the bendy buses from the park-and-ride, commencing from the date of signing of contract, so yes, the agreement is still valid,” the spokeswoman said when asked about the buses’ future.
“Should the contractor fail to remove all the buses within the stipulated timeframe, a deposit of €38,333, plus VAT, will be forfeited and the buses will remain the property of Malta Public Transport Services,” she added.
Asked if the buses were still destined for Sudan, the spokeswoman said the responsibility lay with the contractor since through the sale agreement “the buses will become his property. The contractor can choose to dispose of his assets in any way he deems fit to his business, with the exception that the buses cannot be used on Maltese roads.”
Malta Public Transport Services inherited the buses when it was set up by the government to temporarily operate the public bus network, after Arriva agreed to terminate its 10-year contract on January 1 following persistent service problems and heavy financial losses.
The bendy buses did not form part of negotiations with Arriva so Malta Public Transport Services acquired them for free and will pocket the money from their sale.
Bendy buses have had a chequered history elsewhere. They were completely withdrawn from London’s streets in 2011 by mayor Boris Johnson over fire and road safety fears. Arriva imported some of the London buses to Malta, prompting Mr Johnson to proclaim in 2012 that they were “clogging up the streets of Malta” like a “jack-knifed diplodocus”.
Last November, the Isle of Man decided against introducing the buses after they were deemed unsuitable for the island’s roads following a trial period.
In Malta the bendy buses were withdrawn in late August over safety fears after three caught fire within a short space of time, and have remained off the road since.