Drivers booked for overcharging

Bus drivers dug their heels in over their dispute with the authorities yesterday and started charging elderly people higher rates than those established by law, as the Malta Transport Authority booked several drivers for the infringement.

Up to noon, 57 drivers had been booked and are expected to be charged in court shortly. They were booked following reports by elderly people as well as by the authority's inspectors and the police, who also carried out inspections.

The authority said it was taking measures to avoid inconveniencing those who filed reports when their cases are heard in court by providing them with transport and other facilities.

Transport Minister Censu Galea said the government was determined not to bow down and let the bus drivers have their way.

The government, he said, would not accept to be held at gun point and bus owners should call off their action immediately if they wanted talks to commence.

"When I say talks, I mean meaningful talks that will lead to a radical change in the public transport system," Mr Galea said.

He said the government was writing to local councils asking them to express their opinion about the public transport needs of their localities. This information would then help the ministry to re-establish the routes and put an end to the idea that the routes were the prerogative of the Public Transport Association.

"The idea that the public transport service may only be given by large buses which work day in day out cannot be accepted as a pre-condition. On the contrary, smaller buses can better serve certain localities," Mr Galea said.

Association president Victor Spiteri said the committee would meet this afternoon to discuss the situation and new directives might be issued.

Bus owners want subsidies for the purchase of more new buses and a higher annual operational subsidy. They also have a problem with the bus ticketing machines which, they fear, will introduce the risk of fraud.

Mr Spiteri argued that they were not really asking for subsidies as these could be stopped at the government's whim. Their demands were based on losses incurred by bus owners, which amounted to about Lm5,000 per bus. There were 508 buses which meant that the loss amounted to Lm2.5 million.

"But the association is not asking for Lm2.5 million. We are asking for Lm1.2 million. Lm1.3 million had been given for the years 1996, 1997 and 1998 and the authority knows this and is trying to deceive when it says that we want Lm2.5 million," he said.

The transport minister has published a letter sent to him by Mr Spiteri last February in which the association made a claim for Lm2.51 million in relation to a loss of Lm4,932 which it claimed every bus was making at the time.

Mr Spiteri said that in 1995, bus owners had a revenue of Lm7,000 each. An agreement had been reached that they should receive Lm10,000.

"Four budgets later, the increases in the price of fuel and cost of living has meant added expenses of about Lm2,000 for each bus owner, which translates to Lm1.2 million. We expect our income to be Lm12,000 and to achieve this, we would need Lm2.5 million. We cannot increase our fares and that is why we have to turn to the government," he said.

The transport minister said the government "has had enough of this". The association had been given some Lm750,000 last year and was given another Lm750,000 this year in advance, on the agreement that the difference would be paid out later in the year if costs this year were higher.

Yesterday's action by bus owners has incurred the wrath of both the National Council for the Elderly and the National Association of Pensioners. Both deplored the action, adding it was against the law and urging people to report any abuse.

The secretary of the national association of pensioners, Joseph Scicluna, said it made no sense to target the most vulnerable sector in society.

The government yesterday renewed its appeal to the elderly to continue reporting any bus drivers who charge illegally high rates.

A report may be lodged with the police or the Malta Transport Authority.

On its part, the association apologised for the inconvenience and shifted the blame to the government for not meeting its demands.

But the minister was quick on the draw: "The only way for their apology to be accepted is to call off their illegal actions."