Opposition spokesman Joseph Sammut told Parliament yesterday that the failed public transport reform would cost the taxpayer more than €120 million over a 10-year period – €30 million more than would have been spent under the old system.

Presenting a motion calling for the resignation of Transport Minister Austin Gatt, Dr Sammut said that the reform only produced buses which were comfortable and drivers who were more courteous. Otherwise it failed because it increased the number of private cars on the roads and so more CO2 emissions.

Even the promises of having euro-five buses had failed because Arriva was now using an increasing number of old buses. The promise of maximum waiting time had also failed and people were arriving late for work. Fares had in reality increased because the vast majority of commuters used buses only to go from one place to another and not to spend time going around the island.

Dr Sammut said that people were not happy with the old service because some of the drivers were arrogant and lacked education, and a good number of buses were in a miserable state. However, timetables were kept and people arrived at work on time. This was not the case with the new bus service with more delays, unkempt timetables and the drivers having difficulty to manoeuvre some of the new buses in certain streets. The direct service to Mater Dei Hospital had stopped and areas which were being serviced by the old bus service were left out of the new routes. The expense on the new interchanges, amounting to €830,000, was futile.

He said that Arriva had been conscious of traffic problems in Malta and had made their own survey and still promised fast and efficient services. In four months many new buses were involved in traffic accidents.

Moreover, Transport Malta was breaking the law when it gave Arriva the faculty to train bus drivers. These had to be trained by people having a special licence. Did these unknown trainers possess any special licence?

The minister had declared the reform as a failure only after the opposition had presented its motion. The minister and Transport Malta were responsible and that was why he was calling for the resignation of Dr Gatt and his political appointees including TM chairman, its CEO and also the minister’s adviser, Manwel Delia.

The latest changes would also bring problems because Arriva had already said that the Valletta terminus would not accommodate the number of buses required for the service.

The government had also gone back on its promise that the Floriana Park and Ride would be subsidised through CVA to amend for less parking spaces in Valletta. Park and Ride had been given to Arriva where users now had to pay €3.5 daily. Dr Sammut accused the Prime Minister of threatening his MPs on this motion when he knew that the reform had not been accepted. This was not democracy. If the minister accepted political responsibility but did not offer his resignation, the Prime Minister should have requested it himself.