Arriva is pulling out of Malta
Former Sea Malta radio officer and office dogsbody Joe Mizzi, now cabinet minister for transport
I have it on good authority that bus-operator Arriva is pulling out of Malta as soon as it can, possibly by as early as March.
It could reach no agreement with the government, which is not surprising, given Joe Mizzi’s obtuse approach and the prime minister’s comments which suggest that he doesn’t want them to stay.
Everything points, in retrospect, to a Labour-Party-sponsored campaign against the operator from day one, in which it found a readily cooperative (and not very insightful) media.
When the new operators are announced, the reason why will become clear. And I hope the suckers who cooperated in this campaign will feel well and truly suckered.
But the interim plan is to have the public bus service nationalized by the state and run by a ‘management team’. Joseph Muscat’s government now faces a choice between seizing the bus fleet from its owners – which will send shock waves through the system, undermining confidence in Malta in terms of foreign direct investment and running into major legal wrangles, or buying the buses from Arriva at a huge cost to the taxpayer.
The fate of Arriva’s 1,100 employees in Malta is not yet known. They will either be made redundant when Arriva pulls out, or will be transferred to the state payroll, again at a tremendous cost to the taxpayer.
My sources tell me that Arriva’s top management/negotiators were negatively impressed by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi’s vision, insight, IQ, analytical skills, propensity to dialogue, civility and manners.
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So I suppose we will have state-run bus service again? What a pity that Kiev protesters destroyed that statue of Lenin rather than try to sell it to this government for 20,000 euros.
We saw this coming before last March.
It was quite obvious all along that Mizzi wanted to give Arriva’s business to some supporter of the PL. Last Sunday’s comment at Paqpaqli ghall-istrina didn’t help much either. It was a blatant give away that the moment had arrived.
Nauseating attitude to say the least. So full of spite and hatred – I wonder what sort of an example these politicians are setting for our younger generations. No wonder Labour diehards are asking themselves what has become of their party values. No sorry these ARE their party values contrary to what was said in a couple of articles today in Times of Malta.
Mintoff’s back. Live Elvis, he never dies.
Good going, Joseph ‘Semen’ Mizzi.
Semen Mizzi? Makes for a lovely couple with J Dalli BA.
From way before the election, it was clear that Arriva’s days were numbered, and that is was more a question of when, rather than if, they would be allowed to continue to operate in Malta.
The PL numb-nuts believe that they will gain further political advantage from the final exorcism of this ‘PN’ demon, forgetting that they are now in the hot seat and that the buck stops entirely with them.
The government was, and still is, much better off fixing something that is perceived as being broken rather than replacing it, in its entirety, particularly when it is something as important as public transpor, and an easy source of irritation to the general public should PL fail to get it right first time round.
A simple change in perception will already make the service much more acceptable to most.
Nationalisation, including seizure of Arriva’s assets, is not a viable option, at least not in any self respecting modern country, let alone an EU member state. So if Arriva do pull out, lock, stock and barrel, and particularly if they do so by March, what then?
Arriva management’s negative impressions of all that makes up Joe Mizzi – for goodness sake, what else did they expect?
They have been in Malta for almost 30 months, haven’t they?
As Daphne rightly put it, the Labour-sponsored antagonism campaign started from DAY 1, didn’t it?
No wonder poor Keith Bastow, Arriva’s first managing director in Malta, had to quit on account of poor health a few months after July 2011.
I am proud to have said a big ‘thank you’ on my meeting him one evening at the Sliema Ferries while he was doing the rounds of the various Arriva routes.
He reciprocated, showing appreciation for it, saying that the whole thing had been very frustrating to him by then.
Frankly, I pitied him.
I suspect that March will be a date of Paramount importance.
It is not how intelligent you are that counts but how hard working and how persistent you are, and connections count a lot.
Labour did everything to destory Arriva’s image. That’s their legacy.
The public like the modern Arriva buses. Any improvements in service will no doubt cost more taxpayers’ money which will run into millions of euros.
Incompetence seems to be viral with this administration.
“…were negatively impressed by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi’s vision, insight, IQ, analytical skills, propensity to dialogue, civility and manners.”
No wonder Alfred Sant in his 22-month stint had installed him as Minister without Portfolio.
[Daphne – The real question is, why did both prime ministers feel the need to make him a cabinet minister at all?]
Daphne, it’s obvious why. Given his extensive seafaring experience, Joe Mizzi is able to navigate a crisis.
Like Schettino round a reef
Touché, Daphne.
What better alternatives are there in the Labour gene pool? Pretty homogenous in base mediocrity.
The writing was long on the wall and evidently part of PL’s informal, unpublished electoral programme. Only a matter of time until the bangers are back on our roads… together with their buses.
Evarist Bartolo insisted a Labour government doesn’t necessarily have to respect agreements entered into by the PN administration. His was a particular reference to Arriva’s contract.
Can you imagine what implications this will have for many years to come from the perspective of foreign investors? Who in his right mind will invest millions in the Maltese economy (regardless who is in government), if this kind of thing happens.
The small minds who say that Arriva didn’t really live up to its expectations anyway, and things will probably be better in the end, are really missing the big picture – future foreign investments in ANY area.
The bus system itself is a side effect: the services will go to some Labour Party donor and the customer will get back the Maltese service levels, with union demands with every suggested change..
Will the drivers, conductors and other Arriva employees be re-employed into the new transport company’s structure?
Or will this be ‘just’ another burden to our taxes?
Much of the sickening and negative publicity on Arriva must be blamed on The Times.
I’d love to see Times of Malta carry a question on which service its readers would prefer.
I agree with you because negative publicity in The Times started as soon as the contract was awarded, way before July 2011 when Arriva started operating in Malta.
The Times’ obsessive campaign against Arriva was deliberate and carefully coordinated with the Labour Party, even if not officially by those in charge at that newspaper.
So was the sabotage like bus drivers not reporting for work, the GWU putting spooks in the wheels, and the ‘incidents’ where the three buses caught fire within a few days.
I agree with you. Yet, I believe that once the Arriva adventure in Malta is concluded, it would be Arriva which would have done more damage to The Times, rather than the other way round. I’m speaking in terms of credibility.
The Times tried to destroy Austin Gatt for reasons well known to The Times’s management. If the public transport reform had been in some other minister’s hands, The Times would have taken a different stance. But then, perhaps, public transport reform would never have happened.
Mhux il-Paramount jiehdu l-kuntratt?
The word on the streets is Paramount.
Now that the situation has deteriorated to this state, it would be nice to know from Arriva’s own statistics the amount of sabotage, theft, government intrusion and misappropriation it incurred during its time here in Malta. The time for diplomacy is over.
_ _ _ . . . _ _ _ IS ABOUT THE ONLY THING MIZZI MAY UNDERSTAND. It says “Save Our Souls” from this stinking putirified trash. Fare Ye Well Arriva.
To be fair, the company has been making huge losses from day one. There were huge miscalculations from Arriva on expenses and revenues.
I only hope that we do not have cowboy drivers once a new Maltese management takes over.
[Daphne – ‘To be fair…’ Tsk tsk.]
“I only hope that we do not have cowboy drivers once a new Maltese management takes over.”
Hoss fl-ilma.
You must be joking, of course it will be back to the golden days of people being physically assaulted if they have the wrong change.
And don’t you dare climb aboard with a pushchair or luggage.
Labour’s plan is to return to the days when public transport was a social service, where routes are planned for their core voters, and preferably occupied by these.
They know nothing else, except wreak havoc on those who’ll find themselves without access to the current routes and will have to return to their cars.
They’ll tax car use to subsidise the old star configuration, Valletta terminus has already spilt onto the old one.
That will be the excuse not to remove the slums posing as kiosks next to the city’s entrance. Then they’ll say what a waste of money the whole project was.
It happened with the old gate, never finished, the entropy creeping everywhere.
The place will become, once again, their territory. Or better, the stench of urine cannot be eradicated. It’s their sense of place.
Back to fleecing tourists and foreign students.
Joe Mizzi and Joseph Muscat can consult with Cristina Kirchner, who has a similar democratic mindset, how to handle the international backlash from international institutions, organizations and countries, on the issue of forced nationalization of foreign-owned investment.
She can give them some advice on the subsequent repercussions such as the withdrawal of foreign capital, economic isolation, and sanctions by international for a such as the Paris Club.
“FORMER SEA MALTA RADIO OFFICER AND OFFICE DOGSBODY JOE MIZZI”
Now that the USA has changed significantly, people should all start believing in the Maltese dream.
Two or three weeks ago I travelled on Arriva, bus X1. Two Chinese fellow passengers, who came on board at Luqa Airport, sat down close to me.
They had papers on which they ticked/wrote down notes at every bus stop which we came to, all the way to Cirkewwa.
I thought there was something strange about it.
Has anyone else noticed anything similar?
Apparently Chinese labour is extremely cheap, in particular Chinese prisoners who are forced to work on Chinese-sponsored ‘projects’ and Chinese companies in Africa and various third world countries.
Interesting, a dry run, so according to Labour, it will be the operator’s remit to decide which routes are profitable. No design, no evolution, just stasis.
Mizzi has been promising a reform for ages, he even had journalists trotted to his place but wouldn’t divulge details.
It will be hilarious when the lower income bracket finds itself having to pay more.
I knew this was coming.
Probably a Chinese company will take over as Plan B.
We really were missing the virdun fil-gabjetta in the driver’s cabin and the barmil u xkupa beneath the passenger seats.
Not to mention the foul language in full face of the Verbum Dei Caro Factum Est.
Now they will face the nightmare they created and fuelled themselves.
Interesting times ahead.
ARRIVADERCI and good riddance too!
This outcome was inevitable. From day one and I don’t mean post-election day one.
Labour is safe for business. That’s what Joseph Muscat said. Before the elections. According to Kurt Sansone. Of The Times.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111128/local/Labour-leader-in-sales-pitch-for-businesses.395874
I use the buses regularly and I realized very early on that Laburisti all over Malta were organized to grumble publicly and continuously about Arriva. Mostly, however, these were people who did NOT use the buses, at least not regularly.
Then The Times came in with a campaign that targeted car-drivers, who are usually miffed at Arriva’s larger (and not only the bendy-) buses and who, in truly Maltese style, see no reason why they should park or drive in a way that allows buses carrying thirty people or so to have a decently smooth journey rather than keep stopping and waiting for only-in-Malta drivers blocking traffic.
You see, in Malta we have no respect for the collective – whatever it may be – in truly ‘JIEN hu Alla sidek’ fashion.
With its not-so-hidden agenda, The Times could never see that since July 2011:
1. we have public transport foreign visitors actually use;
2. that for the first time in our airport’s history we have direct and express public transport from the airport to Ċirkewwa, Rabat, St Julians/Sliema, Valletta, Vittoriosa, Marsascala and Birżebbuġa;
3. that disabled persons can now use public transport for the first time in Malta’s history;
4. that mothers carrying children in pushchairs can board public transport with ease and safety;
5. that the elderly can use as many buses as they like over a whole week for just €2.30 ie what was Lm1;
6. that for €1.50 (Lm0.65) a day you can go wherever in Malta on buses that are much more decent and comfortable than the cattle lorries we had before;
7. that for the first time ever we had a night bus system operating all over Malta on Friday and Saturday nights that has just been STOPPED by minister Mizzi on the morrow of the budget;
8. that we have a public transport system running till 11pm daily and not to 9pm as happened up to 2011 to most villages; and
9. that a public transport system cannot be without defect, especially when Arriva was targeted for vicious only-in-Malta sabotage, but that there’s a difference between genuine criticism and an agenda to destroy Austin Gatt for reasons well-known to The Times’s management.
Arriva has had enough of Malta and our petty agendas as well as the Labour Party’s very serious agenda to give public transport to people it has been in cahoots with long before the general election.
The withdrawal date being touted by people within Arriva and close to Joe Mizzi’s ministry is the 15th March.
I hope that lower-income people, mostly genuine Laburisti, who don’t just use but also depend on the public transport system, will come to see how corrupt the party they support actually is when it has been trying, for more than two years now, to destroy a public transport system that is now objectively better and cheaper than the old cattle transport system ever was in the last 40 years.
I have been visiting Malta for many years and experienced the ‘old’ bus system. Sometimes it may have been fun but at the end of the day they spewed out filth, were uncomfortable, appeared to have no timetable, the drivers were rude to both tourists and Maltese and I always got the wrong change!
I know Arriva have many problems but they are a modern transport service which I have found as good as any in other countries including England and Italy. In fact the service is better than where I live in the UK. The price is reasonable too.
I hope you don’t end up with a worse service.