Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/576901
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2015 10 News MIRIAM DALLI IN 2013 the city of Tallinn in Es- tonia became the first capital to introduce free public transport for all residents. The reasons were several, including guaranteeing mobility for unemployed and low- income residents, stimulating eco- nomic activity, and decreasing the modal share of private motorised transport. Sustainablecities.eu claims that car traffic in Tallinn decreased by about 15% while the city expects increased tax income of €1 million per 1,000 newly registered inhabit- ants – an income that will almost compensate for the loss of income from tickets. In London, the transport system provides different Oyster cards that allow children and students up to 19 years of age to travel for free on buses and trams and cheaper rates on the Tube and overground. Londoners aged 60 and over can travel free on public transport. But in Malta, only children up to four years of age can travel for free while children aged between four and 10 can pay up to €2 a week, with limitless journeys. Different tallinja cards with advantageous rates also exist for students, adults, 60+ cardholders, holders of special ID cards and Gozo residents. So with the public transport al- ready enjoying significant govern- ment subsidies, can the provision of free public transport for minors – and therefore schoolchildren – be a solution to easing the pressure on our roads from private trans- portation during school hours? A White Paper recently pub- lished by the Education Ministry considers the possibility of giv- ing students free access to public transport. The government currently pays an average of €7.87 million per year to cover five contracts with transport service providers for state schools. The government is contractually bound until 2018. The Malta Union of Teachers believes that allowing students to board buses for free would be one effective way of addressing Malta's traffic nightmare. MUT president Kevin Bonello proposes that all students on the island – with the exclusion of kids at primary level – should be given a "student's pass". "It will certainly reduce the nu- merous coaches and minivans on the road and it will definitely help those parents who on a daily ba- sis drive their children to school," Bonello says. He argues that as things stand to- day, it doesn't make financial sense for parents with two children or more to pay for private transport. "Children at public schools are either arriving too early or late be- cause a coach or a minivan would have to make more than one trip every morning." The MUT president also believes that making use of public trans- port would help address the issue of bullying on school buses. Bonello however recognises that the system would only work if all schools were properly serviced and the public transport runs on time. Pointing towards the boys' school in Handaq, Bonello also questions why no bus stop was available within the industrial area, with the only bus stop situated in Mdina Road, Qormi. The Transport Ministry on the other hand – which directed Mal- taToday to the education ministry – had little to say on the proposal. "Children under four years do not need a card and can travel on the public transport for free. Tar- iffs for children between four and 10 and students between 11 and 16 are already heavily subsidized," was the little insight that Joe Miz- zi's ministry could muster. Marthese Portelli, shadow minis- ter for transport, is a supporter of free transport for kids. "If studied well and implemented properly a good number of cars could be re- moved from the road during rush hours. The crux lies in having an effective take-up." Portelli says the PN is in support of giving free school transport. "But these measures on their own will not be enough. We have reached a saturation point that calls for widespread solutions. One must look into the cause of the current state of affairs. We need to think 'bold'. We need to think out-of-the-box. We need to think holistically," she says. Alternattiva Demokratika's sec- retary-general Ralph Cassar comes forward with a number of propos- als on how students could be in- centivised to make use of public transport… including making Uni- versity students pay a parking fee. "Sometimes you need disincen- tives to push for the use of public transport," Cassar argues. Alternattiva Demokratika has in the past proposed the setting up of a nation-wide school transport system. "We are open to different ideas and this is just one," he says, while being less enthusiastic of giv- ing free public transport to univer- sity students. "With their stipends, I believe that a student card is within their reach," he says. Cassar says he would be open to students paying a parking fee: "The money could then be used to in- centivise people who make use of alternative transport means, such as building shower cubicles for students making use of bicycles, or further reducing bus fares for students." mdalli@mediatoday.com.mt MCAST reserves the right to accept or refuse in part or in whole, any or all tenders submitted. Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology Administration Building, MCAST Main Campus, Corradino Hill, Paola PLA 9032. T: 2398 7100 F: 2398 7316 E: tenders@mcast.edu.mt www.mcast.edu.mt Invitation to tender Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life Project part-financed by the European Union European Social Fund (ESF) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds Investing in your future MCAST T. 27/2015 TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SOFTWARE TO THE MALTA COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Tender documents may be requested by email (on the email address below) or collected from the Purchasing Department at the MCAST Administration Building (at the address below), from Monday to Friday, from 08:30hrs to 16.30hrs. Tenders should be placed in the pre-addressed envelope and deposited in the appropriate tender box at the MCAST Administration Building, at the address below, by no later than Monday 5th October 2015 at 11:00hrs. The Principal of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology notifies that offers from interested parties will be received for: EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND 3.102 Would free bus transport for kids solve our traffic woes? The MaltaToday panel Kevin Bonello, MUT "It will reduce the numerous coaches and minivans on the road and help parents driving children to school on a daily basis." Marthese Portelli, Shadow minister for transport "If studied well a good number of cars could be removed from the road during rush hours. The crux lies in an effective take-up." Ralph Cassar, AD secretary-general "University students can be incentivised to make use of public transport… by making them pay a parking fee." Joe Mizzi, Transport minister "Please forward your questions to the education ministry." If kids could to school free by bus, or were picked up by regional buses dropping them off at various schools... would parents stop taking kids to school?