Joe Mizzi’s magic wand is having some functionality issues
Published:
February 6, 2015 at 8:07am
Here we go already. But everything was Arriva’s and Austin Gatt’s fault with the buses, wasn’t it, so changing them both – to Autobuses de Leon and Joe Mizzi – should make everything fine. Except that it isn’t.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150206/local/bus-chief-admits-worsening-traffic-situation-a-worry.554950
It isn’t only the worsening of the traffic situation that is worrying.
The government is paying out much more for a worse bus service.
The government said recently that the recent big increase in the number of private cars on the road is a sign that fuel prices in Malta are cheap compared to Europe.
So if Mr. Autobassis tal-Iljun is complaining about the traffic, why doesn’t the government increase the price of fuels at the pump to cut down on the use of private cars?
The truth is that:
1. The increase in the number of private cars is not evidence that fuels in Malta are cheap, but that the present government’s roadmap for public transport, if there is one, has been a failure.
2. The price of fuels in Malta is among the highest in Europe, but so far under this Labour government there is no reasonable alternative to the use of the private car.
3. The present government is a government of liars.
Times of Malta please note that is is Otocar and not Autocar, from the Koc Group of Turkey.
Driver training indeed. Yesterday a woman asked the driver to open a window for her because she couldn’t do it herself. The reply was: Iftaghha int jekk trid mela jien. Incidentally, the bus had no airconditioning and there was a very bad smell of diesel.
Otokar
Go-karts?
That reminded me of the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Ottokar%27s_Sceptre
Could someone translate that Maltese into English for me, please. I tried online translation and it didn’t make much sense. Thanks.
[Daphne – The bus driver said to the woman who asked him to open a bus window: “Open it yourself if you want it open. Why should I do it for you.”]
Time to admit Viagra is sorely needed
They’re already envisaging it that it’s going to be a big failure.
Mela t-traffic mhux il-bendy buses kienu qed joholquh?
Somebody should have given him Minister Mizzi’s CV
Common sense is so uncommon.
Tiskanta kif l-apologisti tal-Gvern illum qed isibu s-soluzzjonijiet kollha immaginabbli biex jaraw success mit-trasport pubbliku.
Sahansitra jissuggerixxu li t-toroq kollha jigu ‘one lane’ biex it-tieni ‘lane’ tintuza biss mill-vetturi tal-Leon.
Dan juri d-dubji kbar li jezistu kemm tista’ tinstab soluzzjoni mghaggla ghall-problema.
U dan kollu meta ma hemmx xi union ixxekkel kif sar fil-kaz tal-Arriva. B’sussidju minimu ta’ 29 miljun li jizdied maz-zmien, wiehed kien jistenna servizz impekkabbli.
Ahfrilhom, Mulej, ghax ma jafux x’inhuma jaghmlu.
Ahfrilhom Mules, ghal jafu sew x’qed jaghmlu.
imhatra li jaddu ftit jiem ohra u dan l-gharef jghidlilna li l-kumpanija tieghu ma kinitx taf ghal xiex diehla.
In fact he should start building more helipads instead of bus stops.
Let them eat cake
I took the bus to Valletta at 9.00 a.m. today.
It was 20 minutes late and there were more than 30 passengers standing. The driver yelled at us to move further back so that he could take on more as he said they were running short of buses.
Bejn il-kliem u l-fatt hemm bahar x’tikkumbatti.
U tghidlix li issa se jimlew kullimkien bil-bus lanes meta sa Marzu 2013, Joe Mizzi kien tant igerger kontrihom. Sew jghidu li l-qahba milli jkollha ttik (anki jekk tkun qahbu).
“Admits”? Surely “tells us a bleeding obvious fact that should have worked out ourselves long before public transport reform came along”.
Joe Perception Mizzi remember? We are TOLD that the bus service is better and that traffic is all in our head.
China is teaching the government well.
Two years ago, Times of Malta would have had that as ‘Arriva driver’:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150206/local/bus-driver-injured-in-rabat-crash.554986
And there you go, TVM news a few minutes ago:
”… incident ta’ karozza tal-linja…”
As expected, matter of fact reporting, no drums of doom or Minister blaming, or quoting of the total number of accidents since the last week, month or year.
No sniggering the name of the bus company either.
The soft launch must have affected the hardness of Mizzi’s wand.
It’s not a ‘soft launch’ what the Minister promised.
He promised a soft entry.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-12-30/local-news/Transport-Minister-promises-soft-entry-for-new-bus-service-6736128016
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141230/local/It-s-a-soft-entry-says-Transport-Minister.550012
So that is why Joe Mizzi went to Spain to conclude the negotiations there. He didn’t want them to get a good look at Malta’s terrible traffic situation.
Autobuses de Leon should have done their preparatory research properly instead of having Joe Mizzi go to them in Spain.
I think they will soon ask for more subsidy and get it.
Joe Mizzi seems to know the Public Procurement Regulations well enough.
In Seduta Nru. 456 – 6 ta’ Novembru 2006, Joe Mizzi referring to Michael Frendo said: ‘Dawn x’affarijiet huma? Mela hawnhekk qegħdin nilgħabu bit-ticketing machines?’
Perhaps the Public Accounts Committee should be looking into the meeting held in Spain between Joe Mizzi and Autobuses de Leon’s directors before the tender was awarded.
DUH.
The mystery of the magic permits by Joe Perception Mizzi:
”Vehicles in De Valette Square – Wardens told not to book them, mayor says no permits issued.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150206/local/vehicles-in-de-valette-square-wardens-told-not-to-book-them-mayor-says-no-permits-issued.554962
Who is the w*nker now? Is Nicolà Abela Garrett still feeding from the Taghna Lkoll trough?
U hawnhekk jien se nerġa’ naqraha għaliex hija importanti. Din tgħid: “No verbal communication in respect of the tender will be permitted and any attempt to do so will automatically disqualify the tenderer without any appeal”. Jien hawn nisfida lill-Ministru u lill-Awtorita’ dwar it-Trasport Pubbliku, kemm hawn ġew kif ukoll barra, li jgħiduli jekk ġiex skwalifikat xi ħadd minn dawk li tefgħu it-tenders – għaliex naħseb li saru iktar minn “verbal communications in respect of the tender” – jew jekk dak li suppost ġie skwalifikat hux se jispiċċa jirbaħ it-tender hu.
Evarist Bartolo – Kamra tad-Deputati, Seduta Nru 479, 28 ta’ Novembru, 1995
I now expect Bartolo to comment about the meeting Joe Mizzi had in Spain with Autobuses de Leon, the company that eventually won the tender, with the same passion and the same commitment.
fat chance for Bartolo to comment
subsidies and not subsidy
Hekk għidt bejni u bejn ruħi dalgħodu kif qrajt it-titlu tal-aħbar. Bdejna bl-iskużi… issa naraw kemm se jdumu imma ma ninsewx li dawn qed jisolħuna €23 miljun din is-sena u ma nafx kemm aktar fis-snin li ġejjin….forsi għaldaqshekk jissaportu hux!
Well, with the government subsidy to the bus operator now three times that given to Arriva, cheaper fares could help to solve the problem.
This company never did their homework. Well,so it seems.
Issa dawn sabu s-sodda mifruxa (jew kważi). Mindu dal-Gverrn warrab ‘l Arriva ma nbidel xejn ħlief li tneħħew il-bendy-buses. Ir-rotot, il-ħinijiet u l-frekwenza baqgħu li kienu.
Dawn l-istess nies li vvutaw kontra l-budget biex waqqgħu il-Gvern, biex meta telgħu huma lanqas biddlu miżura waħda minnu. U dan meta kellhom (skond huma) il-famuża rowdmepp.
Issa naraw x’inhu ġej għax lanqas s’hemm ma jridu jgħidulna. Kulma rajna s’issa kien reklam biex jgħidilna kemm se jkollna trasport pubbliku ‘state of the art’.
Gvern Lejburista jimxi bl-għira, l-inkejja u tal-ħabba gozz.
I remember the grumbling about the new routes introduced by Arriva.
The fact that the bus 32 to Valletta became bus 71 – to mention one – was considered as an in-surmountable challenge.
However, that the direct service from Zurrieq to Valletta and vice-versa, became more frequent – half hourly instead of hourly – didn’t deserve an ‘honourable mention’.
With the demise of Arriva, the bus routes introduced by it weren’t changed and there wasn’t even a pip-squeak of a grumble from the so vociferous commuters of Arriva times.
Mizzi gives a new meaning to withholding information which he fondly calls ‘soft launch’.
Times of Malta in the above featured article quoted the bus ‘chief’ as having ordered buses from Turkish firm ‘Autocar’.
Readers immediately pointed out that this firm does not seem to exist and suggested that a Turkish company with a similar sounding name is ‘Otokar’.
Times of Malta corrected the misquote but only in one place so the article now reads:
…will be delivered by October by Turkish maker Otokar. Following the positive experience in southern Spain, where we have been using Autocar vehicles since 2011..
Considering that the press has an important role to play in any democracy, I suggest we start to cry.
The Minister promised a soft entry, not a soft launch. Please stop misquoting the Traffic Minister.
And yet again we get to know what is going on in Malta from a foreign website:
”First order of RHD buses to Otokar”
Are we the guinea pigs and should we ask whether Otokar has ever supplied right hand drive buses before Malta’s order:
“This is the biggest Right Hand Drive order for a Turkish Bus Manufacturer.”
https://www.otokar.com.tr/en-us/corporate/media/news/Pages/rhd-buses.aspx
”01/23/2015 13:24
Otokar is now preparing to win the hearts of the people of the Maltese Islands. Otokar Doruk 142 bus to provide public transport services in Malta.”
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=tr&u=http://www.radikal.com.tr/otomotiv/otokar_malta_caddelerindeust_uste_5_yil_turkiyenin_en_cok_tercih_edilen_otobus_markasi_olan_otokar_simdi_de_malta_adasi_halkinin_kalbini_kazanmaya_haz-1278567&prev=search
My other question is, who is this CUNISA mentioned in Otokar’s website as taking delivery of the busses for Malta?
”The company will provide 142 units of the right-hand drive Vectio C to Spanish city buses operator CUNISA.”
https://www.otokar.com.tr/en-us/corporate/media/news/Pages/rhd-buses.aspx
God help us, Malta’s right hand drive order from Otokar was noteworthy enough to make it to Busworld Industry News.
That shows the extent of their success with selling RHD busses before Malta’s order.
http://www.busworld.org/articles/detail/2324
If there are to be 100 more buses, then is it the Ministry of Transport or the Spanish company who will be paying for them? And how does that feature in the subsidy comparisons being made by Joe Mizzi?
Many Turkish sites refer to the Maltese Ministry of Transport as having ordered 142 buses to be delivered ‘to the selected companies’.
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=tr&u=http://beyazgazete.com/haber/2015/1/21/otokar-yilin-ilk-filo-siparisini-malta-dan-aldi-2515450.html&prev=search
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=tr&u=http://www.dunya.com/otokara-ilk-filo-siparisi-maltadan-250848h.htm&prev=search
How sad this bus chief looks.
Maybe Magic Wand Mizzi will cheer him up.
Dipstick Mizzi more like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v57jvlYiKa8
A foreigner finds that the situation is different to that which they were informed about.
How familiar is that scenario?
Traffic situation became so bad as soon as star minister Joe Mizzi sent Arriva off with excuse of bendies.
By that time Arriva had settled and commuters were steadily increasing.
When Arriva left, junk which had not been seen on the roads for quite some time came back on our roads to be used public transport.
Commuters lost all trust again in public transport and reverted to using their private cars even to shop or work in Valletta.
Worsening traffic problem? Silly me there I was thinking that the best solution to solve our traffic problem was a better public transport service.
What worsening traffic? It’s the perception, stupid.
Seems that the guy in charge of the Autobassis tal-Iljun wants to take us for a ride.
Priceless is watching everything blowing up in their faces. All their pre-election mud slinging is coming back to haunt them.