The shadow minister for transport, Marthese Portelli this morning challenged the bus operator to publish the rates with which it is paying for its diesel.

The people were heavily subsidising this company while paying high fuel prices, and yet Spanish-owned Malta Public Transport was benefiting from advantageous diesel rates.

While Transport Minister Joe Mizzi had said before the general election that he knew where to strike oil, it was the Spanish owned bus operator that had actually struck oil here, she remarked.

Dr Portelli recalled that Mr Mizzi had gone to Spain to negotiate the deal with Autobuses de Leon even before the company was formally selected. The contract, revealed in parliament last week, was heavily in favour of the operator and it was costing all Maltese, €3000 per family per year.

Not only had the government subsidy tripled compared to Arriva but the service was inefficient and some drivers did not even know Maltese or English.

In a reaction, the Transport Ministry asked if the PN's short-term plan for the bus service is to get Arriva back.

Arriva's service, it said, was worse than the present one, with a shortage of buses, bendy buses which caught fire, inadequate routes and a company that was bankrupt.

It also pointed out that Arriva had requested a government subsidy of  €45 million per year, which was substantially more than what taxpayers were paying now.