Our Turkish buses
Published:
February 6, 2015 at 6:32pm
And once again, we have to go to the web-based media of other countries or of non-Maltese companies to discover what our government is up to.
This is from the website of the Turkish manufacturer Otakar, which relays the good news (for the company) that a Spanish operator – not Autobuses de Leon but another name, perhaps that of the holding company – has placed an order with it for 142 Vectio C right-hand-drive buses for delivery to Malta.
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https://www.otokar.com.tr/en-us/corporate/media/news/Pages/rhd-buses.aspx
Why didn’t they buy the buses from an EU member state?
Because they have certain affinity with dictators and oppressors.
Turkey’s government is elected and has broad support from the population.
Because Turkish buses represent excellent value for money. They are reasonably priced and very modern.
Ah perhaps Mizzi got a discount because Otokar had never sold to the right hand drive market before and so they could trumpet the sale to Malta.
Labour has always had a strange relationship with money vis-a-vis product quality.
This was never anything to do with Mizzi, it was a purely commercial decision taken by a privately owned company which felt that this was the most appropriate bus for Malta’s needs.
In any case, how does this differ from Arriva’s 2011 order of King Long buses? Without doubt the largest RHD order they’ve had also, King Long is not (still yet) successful in RHD markets and has got absolutely nowhere in the British bus market having only sold a handful of buses there, Arriva also had no prior experience with King Long and has not placed any further orders with them since (which I think tells you everything you need to know about what Arriva thought of those buses) and clearly ordered them out of necessity (the fact that a shareholder at the time was the sole importer of King Long clearly skewed the decision making process).
The Otokars are level above the King Longs in terms of product quality as if you’ve actually travelled on one by now, you’ll have realised. So, one could say that PN are as much responsible for the purchase of King Longs as Labour are for the Otokars. I’m not a Labour supporter (I’m not Maltese therefore unable to vote here and thus politically agnostic) but separate politics from commercial decisions please.
Who knows, maybe protecting assets in case one needs to do a quick exit – particularly if the traffic problem isn’t solved.
http://www.info-empresas.net/Cunisa_emp-51012
Will we see today’s bus accident on the news and hold the minister responsible for it? Probably not, issa kollox fuq ir-rubini, anything negative is just our perception.
Someone might even find a way to blame Austin Gatt for it.
Wow! These are some extraordinary buses we’re getting.
Double low entry, double integral structure, double independent front suspension; eat your heart out, Arriva.
Joe Mizzi must have been duly impressed. He must be over the moon for having done one better over Austin Gatt.
https://www.otokar.com.tr/en-us/products/Pages/vectio-c.aspx
Wait till you see new RHD Fargo and Desoto trucks arrive from Turkey to go to the Public Works Dept.
Apparently they still build trucks under those 1950s American brand names in Turkey.
http://www.allpar.com/world/turkey.html
http://www.autobuses-autocares.com/es/notices/2015/02/otokar-recibe-un-pedido-de-142-vectio-c-para-el-transporte-de-alsa-en-malta-55939.php#.VNUG84akqrU
Or from a Spanish website.
Huh? This was reported in The Times and Independent yesterday. I’m with you the other times when we found out news about Malta from Azeri or Chinese newspapers, but this was reported.
[Daphne – Not the details, Nadia.]
Turkish delight
Midnight Express Tranport gej milli jidher
Who the hell is CUNISA. The parent company of ALESA is ALSA.
If the overhead panels of the airconditioning system on these Otakar buses leak water like the other buses imported by Traffic Minister Joe Mizzi, then it looks like Malta is going to have its own Turkish baths.
I was under the impression that the tender stipulated that the bus should have a euro 5 engine like Arriva had not 6 euro engine as the Turkish manufacturer said.
Issa immur niehu kebab wara lejl Paceville fuqhom.
I just cannot see any diffrrence between Arriva and de Leon, except for my increased share of tax for the triple subsidy.
Sometimes I feel like being at the bottom scale of the political-economic food chain: working hard while everyone is trying to eat me alive, from the government to the plasterer.
Seems my share of the GDP is very meaty, and good and nourishing meat at that.
Joe Mizzi is at the top region of this food chain and he has bitten me hard to feed himself and the Spanish Lion he has befriended.
Ouch.
“The fleet will be delivered to the island before the end of 2015”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141220/local/update-3-new-public-transport-provider-to-take-over-bus-service-on-january-8.548966
“The company is expected to bring over 142 new buses by summer but will initially hire a number of buses to run the service”.
Can you imagine Austin Gatt giving these kind of target dates:”by summer 2015” and “before the end of 2015”?
At least Otokar is one of the best bus manufacturers in the world.