Installing seat belts in minibuses costs some €400, including a certificate by an engineer, industry sources said.
This newspaper reported last month that some 58 minibuses manufactured before 1998 were exempt by law from having seat belts installed. The minibuses were being used to transport schoolchildren.
The news sparked controversy, with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo calling on the transport authorities to do something.
A spokesperson for the Transport Ministry confirmed that the issue was being looked into.
Asked whether the ministry would consider paying for the installation of the seat belts, the spokesperson said the issue was “still being discussed” between the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, parents of State school students are calling for an “overhaul in the school transport system”, claiming that this was the only way they would have confidence in the system.
Calling on the authorities to “immediately stop the use of minibuses manufactured before 1998 and coaches manufactured before October 2001”, a spokeswoman for the Maltese Association of Parents of State School Students said action was long overdue.
Only this could improve parents’ confidence in the school transport service
The spokeswoman stressed the importance of having seat belts in minibuses that transport schoolchildren but insisted that this was not the only measure needed to improve safety – such as diligent driving and supervision during school transport.
“Only this could improve parents’ confidence in the school transport service,” she told this newspaper yesterday.
The parents’ association has also urged the authorities to step up enforcement of laws on seatbelts, which stipulate that children travelling on vehicles with more than eight seats should make use of the safety systems provided. If not, according to the legal notice, criminal liability lies with the “driver of the vehicle”.
According to the 2007 legal notice, passengers on board vehicles fitted with safety systems must be informed of the requirement to wear safety belts whenever they are seated and the vehicle is in motion. This should be done by means of signs displayed “at every seating position” or by the driver or a person designated as group leader.
In recent years, in an attempt to address the traffic congestion that plagues Malta’s roads as soon as schools start, the government introduced tax rebates meant to encourage parents to use minivans, issuing a tax credit of up to €150 depending on the number of children.
Following the reports, a number of parents expressed their concerns on various social media groups, saying that, despite the constant encouragement to make use of transport services, they were reluctant to do so, as they felt their children would be in danger.