Dispute over subsidy for low-floor buses

The Public Transport Association is refusing to allow the installation of new bus ticketing machines in a dispute over the government subsidy to its members for the purchase of low-floor buses.

The association said it had also instructed members not to attend courses being organised by the Malta Transport Authority on the use of the machines. Authority officials were due to start installing the machines on all buses this week.

Association chairman Victor Spiteri said yesterday the authority was only willing to grant the promised Lm32,000 subsidy for 147 new buses to owners who had already paid a deposit, leaving the rest of its members in the cold. There are 508 buses.

Mr Spiteri said that under an agreement reached in 1995, all its members were entitled to a subsidy for the purchase of a new bus. However, he insisted that this agreement was not being honoured.

Mr Spiteri said this line of action was being taken because the installation of the bus ticketing machines formed part of the same agreement.

However, the authority said it had only agreed to grant a subsidy for the 147 buses on which a deposit had been paid.

The authority said it would consider entering into another agreement regarding the other buses, but only after the 147 old buses had been replaced.