The technical reports into the fires on Arriva’s bendy buses ruled out arson, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this morning.
Speaking on the One TV breakfast show, the minister said he was awaiting clearance from the Attorney General to publish parts of the reports.
However, Arriva clarified this afternoon that the report the minister referred to was a result of the magisterial enquiry relating to the fire on one bus in Marsa and did not investigate the subsequent small fires on other vehicles.
The minister said the bendy buses would not return to the roads for reasons of safety and because they had contributed to traffic congestion.
He said that Transport Malta would be introducing measures to further ease traffic congestion, including better traffic management and improved infrastructure.
One major project would involve the rebuilding of the Addolorata Cemetery junction in Marsa.
In a reaction, Arriva said the Transport Malta fire investigators report stated that ‘the possibility of intentional arson cannot be ruled out’.
The other buses and the independent inquiry, commissioned by the Transport Minister, claimed "one cannot totally ignore the possibility that the vehicle took fire from something external," Arriva said.
It said this supported the findings of an independent fire investigator it commission which listed "arson or sabotage" as a possible cause of the incidents.
“Arriva Malta maintains the position that these vehicles are safe to return to service and, while there may be a desire by the government to remove them in relation to traffic management, they remain contractually compliant vehicles,” it said.
The General Workers Union appealed to all concerned parties to work together to find a solution as quickly as possible to the on-going issues.
It pointed out that this situation of uncertainty was having a negative affect on workers whose livelihood depended on the public transport service.
It also reiterated that irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations it would never accept that any workers lost their job because of circumstances for which they were not responsible.