The Opposition and the consumers’ association are demanding more information from the government about the extent to which bus fares will go up.
The Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry also issued a statement calling on the government to “seriously reconsider” its position on public transport reform in view of the steep increase in subsidies.
The Sunday Times of Malta this week revealed that bus fares were set to rise, as was the amount taxpayers would have to fork out to subsidise the public transport operator, expected to be Spanish group Autobuses Urbanos de Leon (Alesa).
Transport Opposition spokesman Anthony Bezzina and Consumers’ Association spokesman Antoine Galea said when contacted they expected the authorities to quantify the increases.
Malta has never managed to adequately reform public transport
Mr Bezzina said he was concerned by what he had read and called on the authorities and Transport Minister Joe Mizzi to be “honest” with the people and tell them by how much the bus fares would increase.
The subsidy, which sources told The Sunday Times of Malta was expected to increase to between €24 million and €29 million, was almost three times the €10 million subsidy that used to be paid to the previous operator, Arriva.
“The least Mr Mizzi could do is be honest and tell them how much the €1.50 fare will increase and how much the subsidy will go up. Taxpayers deserve this,” he said.
Mr Bezzina said although Arriva’s first few months were difficult, the service had improved over time and people appreciated it.
“But Mr Mizzi felt he had to terminate the contract and taxpayers have to shoulder the cost of this service,” he said.
Mr Bezzina said the Opposition was also concerned about the uncertain future of ex-Arriva employees, whose job was not being guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the chamber said it was “dismayed” at the news that the taxpayer would incur such an annual cost in subsidies as these “cannot be justified in terms of any derived national economic benefit”.
So far, it said, Malta had never managed to adequately reform public transport and “there are, of course, no guarantees the next attempt will be successful”.
The situation ran counter to the clear recommendation the government had made in its economic vision that stated: “Investment in infrastructure must be sustainable and should not result in increases in the debt to national GDP levels of Malta.”
Dr Galea, a consumer affairs lawyer, said he could not speak much about the increase due to the lack of information.
“All I know is what I read in the newspaper. We need the authorities to confirm or deny the report and then provide us with more information.
“It is only then that we can say whether the increase is justified or not,” he said.
He said more than the increase per se, what consumers really wanted to see was a better service.
A frequent bus user, Stacy Vella, said that even the €1.50 a day she paid was “on the high side” but she would not mind paying “a little bit more” if the service improved drastically and she could get to places on time.
“Last scholastic year, I used to leave home almost two hours early to be able to get to my lectures on time,”she said.
“The air conditioners wouldn’t always work and there was the problem of fires on buses that had me worried.
“Let’s hope these things improve. I think punctuality and regular service are vital,” she said.