Arriva Malta

[YN05 WKE]

RE: Arriva Malta
have they started repainting buses yet or are they leaving them in arriva livery

[126th street]

RE: Arriva Malta

(09/01/2014 20:21)KMN-221-U Wrote:  I'd be inclined to believe Maltese Information over Route One.

Obviously you shouldn't have done. Route One was correct, as I said.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

(10/02/2014 13:53)126th street Wrote:  

(09/01/2014 20:21)KMN-221-U Wrote:  I'd be inclined to believe Maltese Information over Route One.

Obviously you shouldn't have done. Route One was correct, as I said.

See my earlier post, (No 27). I later found that ownership of the Citaro O530Gs would be transferring to Transport Malta, but Transport Malta didn't want them. One of the Maltese opposition parties blamed this on poor the negotiating skills of Transport Malta. Maltese press was correct originally, Arriva just managed to offload them on Transport Malta.

[Garsty]

RE: Arriva Malta
The Mercs are on the way to Sudan:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vie...dan.507334

Quote:Transport Malta has told the former Arriva Bendy Buses for €601,200 (excluding VAT). They will be exported to Sudan.

The buses were sold to a Maltese company.

A call for the sale of the buses closed on Friday last week, by which time three offers were received.

The chosen company, which submitted the highest bid, is to sign the acceptance letter and pay a deposit on Friday. The buses will be shipped to Sudan within four weeks.

Transport Malta had acquired the buses free of charge. The funds from their sale will be used by Malta Public Transport Services.

The 80 Mercedes buses, originally used in London, have been parked at Horns Works Ditch in Floriana since August, when they were pulled off Malta's roads after a series of fires.

Experts concluded that the fires were caused by the conditions the buses were subjected to on Malta’s roads, as well as an element of poor maintenance.

In offering the buses for sale, Transport Malta had laid down that they cannot be returned to Malta’s roads, because of the congestion they caused.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

Quote:Sunday, April 13, 2014, 00:00 by Ariadne Massa
Bendy buses will finally leave Malta next month


The 80 unwanted bendy buses remain parked in Floriana’s Horns Works ditch. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi


The 80 unwanted bendy buses will finally leave the island by May 9 after the company that bought them missed the deadline and was given a fresh extension, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

The controversial articulated buses should have been exported to Sudan nearly a month ago, but Times of Malta revealed that they remain parked in Floriana’s Horns Works ditch.

A promise of sale agreement had been originally been signed between the Transport Ministry and the owners of Calypso Garage on February 18 for €601,200.

A statement issued on that day by the Department of Information had said the company was bound to export the bendy buses, as well as all the spare parts, within four weeks of signing the promise of sale on February 21.

However, sources said the Maltese contractor had encountered obstacles when it came to exporting the buses and the government was faced with a situation where it either lost the sale – not a desirable situation – or extended the contract. It chose the latter option.

The contract was signed with Trihills, represented by Joe Cassar, on Friday according to a

Transport Ministry spokeswoman, who said all the conditions had been satisfied.

“The contract for the sale of buses says it will provide the buyer four weeks to remove the bendy buses from the park-and-ride, commencing from the date of signing of contract, so yes, the agreement is still valid,” the spokeswoman said when asked about the buses’ future.

“Should the contractor fail to remove all the buses within the stipulated timeframe, a deposit of €38,333, plus VAT, will be forfeited and the buses will remain the property of Malta Public
Transport Services,” she added.

Asked if the buses were still destined for Sudan, the spokeswoman said the responsibility lay with the contractor since through the sale agreement “the buses will become his property.

The contractor can choose to dispose of his assets in any way he deems fit to his business, with the exception that the buses cannot be used on Maltese roads.”

Malta Public Transport Services inherited the buses when it was set up by the government to temporarily operate the public bus network, after Arriva agreed to terminate its 10-year contract on January 1 following persistent service problems and heavy financial losses.

The bendy buses did not form part of negotiations with Arriva so Malta Public Transport

Services acquired them for free and will pocket the money from their sale.

Bendy buses have had a chequered history elsewhere. They were completely withdrawn from
London’s streets in 2011 by mayor Boris Johnson over fire and road safety fears. Arriva imported some of the London buses to Malta, prompting Mr Johnson to proclaim in 2012 that they were “clogging up the streets of Malta” like a “jack-knifed diplodocus”.

Last November, the Isle of Man decided against introducing the buses after they were deemed unsuitable for the Island’s roads following a trial period.

In Malta the bendy buses were withdrawn in late August over safety fears after three caught
fire within a short space of time, and have remained off the road since.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

Quote:Public Transport making more losses than Arriva – PN
4 days ago - Wednesday, 09 April 2014, 15:25




Toni Bezzina, Nationalist Party spokesman on transport, said the extraordinary losses that the government’s Malta Public Transport had recorded in the first three months that public transport was run by the government is seriously disquieting for taxpayers.

The loss is of €7 million over three months only, meaning that in just three months, the government has made taxpayers pay as much as the government used to pay in subsidy to Arriva for a whole year.

This situation is unacceptable, Mr Bezzina said. The government had boasted it was running public transport better than Arriva, whose service it had described as a disaster. The truth now is that the government has run a disastrous public transport in the last three months, forcing taxpayers to fork out €7 million in three months.

The government had stopped operating a night service at the weekend, several routes had the last 11pm service removed, and some routes are being operated with buses which cannot be used by elderly or disabled persons, or women with children.

Mr Bezzina said that apart from all this, the interest Minister Joe Mizzi had said there was in the public transport contract has not materialised. Only three companies had shown an interest and it was for the grace of God that two Maltese companies had shown an interest because the government would have had no choice but to accept conditions imposed by one company.

The lack of interest shows that the government is scaring away foreign investment. Several private foreign companies had withdrawn their interest and commented publicly that the government had scared them off because of its secrecy and interference.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

Quote:Wednesday, April 9, 2014, 14:56
Minister describes bids for bus service as 'a victory' for government - hire of UK buses to yield €1.6m savings in six months
Taxpayers' outlay on the bus service in three months equals subsidy to Arriva in a year - PN

Spanish company Autobuses Urbanos de León is the only foreign company interested in operating Malta's bus service.


Spanish company Autobuses Urbanos de León is the only foreign company interested in operating Malta's bus service.

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this evening that he considered it 'a victory' that three companies had submitted interest in running the bus service.

Mr Mizzi was replying to Opposition questions in Parliament during which he presented figures showing that revenue by the bus service declined in the first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of last year.

Earlier, the Nationalist Party expressed concern about the financial losses of the bus service, saying that in three months Maltese taxpayers had paid as much as the subsidy to Arriva in a year.

PN public transport spokesman Toni Bezzina observed that state-owned Malta Transport lost €7 million in the first three months of this year. The losses were borne by Maltese taxpayers and were equivalent to the subsidy given to Arriva in a year.

He said the current situation was unacceptable, when the government had claimed it was running the bus service more efficiently than Arriva and when the Arriva operation had been described as ‘a disaster’.

Not only were taxpayers paying more, but the bus service had deteriorated, Mr Bezzina said. Several night services had been stopped and the vehicles used on some of the routes were inaccessible for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Furthermore, the interest in the provision of the bus service, which minister Joe Mizzi had spoken about, had not materialised. Only three companies had shown an interest to operate the service, and it was a godsend that two Maltese companies were among them, as the governemnt would otherwise had have to accept the conditions laid down by a single
company.

This lack of interest showed that the government had discouraged foreign investment, with several companies having changed their mind after showing initial interest, Mr Bezzina said.

He augured that taxpayers would not continue to shoulder this burden and that the service would be improved.

REVENUE DOWN

Meanwhile, replying to questions in Parliament this evening, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi gave the following figures on revenue, excluding the government subsidy: 2013 -January €1.460,099; February €1.475,167; March €1.638,568; April €1.952,564; May €2.058,295; June €2.150,358; July €2.438,553; August €2.486,079; September €2.171,748; October
€2.207,080; November €1,678,411 and December €1.510,076.

For this year, revenue excluding the subsidy was: January - €1.379,728; February €1.333,142 and March €1.572,300. Total January-March €4.285,170.

Arriva had a €10m subsidy and accumulated a debt of €70m.

The number of passengers increased by 300,000 in the first three months of the year and the government had saved €200,000 in operations.

Asked by Mr Bezzina how revenue had decreased when the minister had boasted of an increased number of passengers, the minister said the decrease was due to the reduction in fares for non-residents to align them with local residents.

Replying to other questions, he said that Arriva, which operated the service until January 1, had wanted a €45 million subsidy in order to operate the routes with the increased mileage which the government wanted. Arriva had a subsidy of €10m.

He described as 'a victory' the fact that three companies had expressed interest in running the bus service, saying that the Nationalists had not expected anyone to apply in view of the government's requirements.

Although 15 companies had initially shown an interest, Mr Mizzi said it was the company which had shown most serious interest that had made declared their interest.

In a separate statement, Mr Mizzi said the government's decision to hire 45 low-floor Euro V buses (from the UK) would yield a saving of €1.6 million between May and October.

The new operator would continue to use the hired buses and then decide whether to extend the lease, buy them or return them.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

Quote:Arriva made €23,226,998 in sales from bus tickets
Figures show increase in use of public transport when compared to January and February 2013.
Miriam Dalli 9 April 2014, 6:36pm




The former public transport service provider Arriva made a total of €23,226,998 in sales from bus tickets between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013.

According to information tabled in parliament by transport minister Joe Mizzi, Arriva used to make an average of €1,935,583 every month.

The highest sales made by Arriva was in August, when sales peaked at €2,486,079. The lowest registered by Arriva was in January 2013 with €1,460,009.

On the other hand, sales registered by the Malta Public Transport Services between January and March of this year totaled €4,285,170.

In reply to questions raised by shadow minister Tony Bezzina, Mizzi said the government company managed “to reduce expenses by €200,000” in two months.

According to information tabled yesterday in parliament, the Malta Public Transport suffered over €7 million in operational expenses in its first two months.

However, the transport minister said that commuters making use of the public transport increased this year – the reduction in income from ticket sales registered was down to the removal of discriminatory tariffs that were applied to foreigners.

A total of 39,438,822 passengers made use of Arriva’s services last year. On the other hand, 5,809,007 made use of the public transport between January and February this year.

The figures tabled by the ministry confirm that use of the public transport service increased during January and February when compared to the corresponding months last year.

January 2013 registered a total of 2,766,265 passengers while January 2014 registered 2,914,148; February 2013 registered 2,708,117 while February 2014 saw 2,894,859 passengers.

Joe Mizzi defended criticism leveled by Bezzina who questioned how in two months, the taxpayers were forced to fork out over €7 million.

“The reply is simple… Arriva suffered over €70 million in debts and it could no longer manage our public transport. The choices were two: either liquidate and end up without a transport service or let the government buy the company as a temporary solution.”

Mizzi said that by buying Arriva – at a nominal value of €1 – the government not only ensured the public transport service ran on but that jobs were safeguarded as well.

“The end result is an increase in passengers and reduction in expenses,” he said, adding that for Arriva to increase the routes, the company had asked for €45 million.

According to the minister, 15 entities had shown interest when an expression for interest was launched. Finally, three companies bid for the tender – Spanish transport group Autobuses Urbaos de León, Gozo First and Island Buses Malta.

This, Mizzi said, was no mean feat.

[KMN-221-U]

RE: Arriva Malta

Quote:Sunday, April 13, 2014, 00:01 by Ron Johnston, Attard
No Plan B

It is with interest to hear that the government has decided to lease 45 buses from the UK for a year.

It is very evident that after disposing of Arriva and assuring us that there was a Plan B, there was no such thing.

It has been quite evident over the past months since the contract vehicles took over that many were not up to the required Public Service Vehicle Standard. I have already written listing the defects which apparently fell on deaf ears (until now).

Some of the mini-buses used on a number of routes are driven in an impatient manner with no regard for passengers’ comfort. Many drivers ignore sleeping policemen and potholes. Time schedules are not always adhered to and many elderly passengers have difficulty alighting and opening and closing door.

I also note that once again the government is still paying these contract buses €40,000 per day.

Furthermore, there are still no ticket machines on these buses, and apart from an isolated ticket collector alighting and departing after a stop or two, no fares are taken .

[ls1911]

RE: Arriva Malta

So are the routes/ frequencies changed much since Arriva withdrew?