Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
14 ADMITTEDLY, Joe Mizzi oc- cupies one of the hottest seats in government and the situation was far from rosy when he took over the transport portfolio in 2013. Two years earlier, the then La- bour opposition led a crusade against Austin Gatt who had pi- loted a bumpy public transport reform, culminating in a motion of no confidence which the former minister survived by the slimmest of margins, with the Speaker cast- ing the deciding vote after rebel Nationalist MP Franco Debono abstained. But despite a change in govern- ment, the departure of Anglo- German service provider Arriva and engaging a new company to run the beleaguered service, pub- lic transport remains a headache for the government and commut- ers alike. Indeed, following the introduc- tion of new routes in December, public transport was the people's third major concern according to a MaltaToday survey published the following month. In an indication that concern about public transport rises above partisan considerations, 14% of Labour voters mentioned buses among their two top concerns. So I ask the man in charge why should the opposition and the public be more lenient with him? "I have always maintained that things will not change overnight. We knew the situation was bad from day one and when we came to power we were faced with a bankrupt company, bendy buses catching fire and a daunting situ- ation overall." In 2014, Arriva pulled out of its 10-year contract and filed for liq- uidation with the government na- tionalising the service before sign- ing a new agreement with Spanish company Autobuses de Leon. The new operator, Malta Public Transport, was awarded a contract to run the public transport service towards the end of 2014. The op- position has long been calling for publication of the contract, with the government promising to publish it in "due time". It seems the time is finally ripe as Mizzi says that the agreement will be tabled in Parliament this week. With refreshing candour, he ad- mits he did not publish the agree- ment before to gain political lev- erage. "I intended to publish the docu- ment immediately it was conclud- ed but given the opposition's be- haviour I realised that it was more useful to work on improving the service while allowing the opposi- tion to speculate." He cites the opposition's accusa- tions that the new operator would fire all Maltese drivers to replace them with Spanish workers, a claim which proved to be false. Mizzi goes on to list a series of claims, including warnings of a price hike, which he says have all turned out to be red herrings. But wouldn't he put an end to speculation by publishing the agreement? "No, they would only misinter- pret things and create more con- fusion to their advantage. Things are not improved by being nega- tive," he says. However he adds that the agree- ment will be presented to Parlia- ment this week. An optimistic Mizzi says that the situation is completely dif- ferent to the one in 2013, adding "there's no disaster and things are continually improving." But he acknowledges that the service needs further improvement. With Transport Malta chief James Piscopo silently nodding in approval, Mizzi says that the big- gest challenge he faced upon tak- ing office was changing the routes drawn up by Arriva and the previ- ous administration. "Due to unforeseen delays caused by legal disputes involving the operator and trade unions, the introduction of the new routes had to be delayed and then intro- duced en masse instead of in the planned four-stage process." He now says it's a question of fine tuning the routes and ad- dressing problems, such as traffic congestion in certain areas, which were created by the introduction of new routes. The people's main concerns, Mizzi says, revolve around punc- tuality and information, or the lack of it. "We are now pressing the op- erator to improve both areas," he says. Asked whether he is satisfied with the performance of the Span- ish operator, Mizzi says "we have moved forward but we're not yet at the level we would like to be." But with subsidies now reach- ing three times the amount Ar- riva received and more buses and drivers at the operator's disposal, the service still leaves a lot to be desired. "You cannot compare the sub- sidy received by Arriva to the one being given to the new company. Arriva got €10 million a year and went bankrupt and when we were in discussions with them over the new routes which are in place today, Arriva asked for €45 mil- lion a year while the Maltese bid- der asked for €40 million," Mizzi says. Malta Public Transport will be receiving €29 million this year and Mizzi insists that the increase in commuters and the 200,000 tallinja cards in circulation con- firm the improvement in the serv- ice. But is it acceptable that buses not only show up late, but at times do not show up at all? "Of course not. It's unaccept- able. That's why we need to en- sure that the operator improves punctuality. We have also flagged abuse, and disciplinary measures were taken. For example I per- sonally stopped a bus which was not in service while it should have been in service." Another problem which many commuters are facing is the lack of adequate information, which has led to confusion, especially following the introduction of new routes and changes to the timeta- bles. Mizzi says information will be made available online, on phones and on all bus shelters in the com- ing days and weeks. "Transport Malta and the opera- tor are deploying people disguised as customers to monitor the situa- tion and from the feedback we are getting, the service is improving." But why wasn't the informa- tion disseminated before the new routes were introduced? Wouldn't this have made life easier for com- muters and averted confusion? "That's what should have hap- pened but the court proceedings did not allow the operator to stag- ger the introduction of new routes in four stages and the new routes were introduced all at once. I have insisted on the need for more in- formation and it is now happen- ing. Better late than never." How will the government exert pressure on the operator to up its game? Will it impose fines? "Well, in this case it wasn't the operator's fault. There was a dis- pute and the new routes could not be introduced. But it's also a point of principle. I would rather see an improvement in punctuality and the dissemination of information than simply fine the operator. I will not commit the same mistake as the previous administration did with Arriva, where fines only compounded matters further and did not lead to an improvement in service." He says deterrents are impor- tant and they have been imposed but "my priority is improving the service, not imposing fines." Moreover, Mizzi adds that the regulator, Transport Malta, the operator and local councils have been in talks to improve the routes in certain localities where the service has worsened, such as at San Gwann. "We will be introducing changes to the routes in San Gwann on 17 April, while by 6 March we will see changes to the routes which serviced St Luke's Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital." The arrival of the new operator also heralded the arrival of a sub- stantial number of foreign driv- ers, some of whom cannot speak in Maltese or English. Is this ac- ceptable? "I have been assured by the op- erator that foreign drivers have undergone basic language courses in English and Maltese to ensure they can communicate with com- muters. However, some people do not speak English so problems arise. Yet, I would rather see the operator employ Maltese people." Last week, Malta Public Trans- port denied the opposition's claims that it is manipulating bus drivers' rosters to avoid pay- ing them their due higher salaries when they are told to work on their days off. Are working conditions in line with the law? "The working conditions are better than Arriva's," he retorts. But what about current working conditions? "The working conditions are le- gal and this has been confirmed by the company itself. Otherwise we would have taken action and Transport Malta has carried out its investigations. It is the opposi- tion which insists otherwise but they have yet to answer and sus- tain their claims," Mizzi says, add- ing that the Labour government Interview By Jurgen Balzan maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 Better late than never "I follow buses early in the morning to ensure they're on time and no abuse takes place…" MONITORING THE SERVICE "It doesn't mean that I'm failing but it means that the people's concerns mainly revolve around traffic and public transport." PEOPLE'S CONCERNS