The Transport Ministry has refused to reveal the extent of losses sustained by the government-run public transport service.
Despite an estimated loss of €2.2 million of taxpayers’ money per month, a ministry spokeswoman said it was “not prudent” to disclose sensitive information “during this delicate stage of discussions”.
The government was holding talks with a Spanish company, Autobuses de Leon SL, which was the only foreign bidder interested in taking over the Maltese public transport service for the next 15 years. Representatives of the Spanish bus operator are currently in Malta for talks.
The other two bidders are the Unscheduled Bus Service and the Gozo Coaches Cooperative, a group of Gozitan coach owners only interested in the service on the sister island.
“The government feels it is prudent to refrain from disclosing sensitive information of commercial value in view of the discussions which are at an advanced stage,” the spokeswoman said, when asked for a breakdown of losses sustained by Malta Public Transport Services Limited, which took over the service in January until a new operator is chosen.
The company was formed after transport operator Arriva quit its 10-year contract prematurely last December after accumulating debts in the region of €70 million since it started operations in July 2011.
The final straw came last summer when Transport Minister Joe Mizzi ordered the company to remove its bendy buses from the network following safety concerns.
Mr Mizzi told Parliament that, while the temporary company’s monthly revenue in the first quarter was an average of €1.4 million, operational costs climbed to €3.6 million a month.
These costs are expected to increase substantially as the government has leased 45 buses from a UK company – a one-year contract expected to cost some €2.4 million a year on top of hiring drivers and paying for fuel and maintenance costs.
Despite these exorbitant costs, the Transport Ministry spokeswoman also refused to divulge details of the company’s revenues.
Passengers told Times of Malta that they often did not pay when using the service, with the bus drivers saying they had no tickets to give them.
Asked when the new operator will be chosen, the spokeswoman said: “The adjudication process is still in progress. When this process is finalised, the government will announce its decision.”