Referring to the incidents at Pinto Wharf last Saturday involving owners/drivers of white taxis, VISET has reiterated its intention to reinstate coach service as soon as it is practicable. Taxi drivers have been reported as stating that VISET are “abusing their position” and that the service was creating unfair competition.

Nothing is further from the truth, said VISET, and it is completely irresponsible of senior officials of the White Taxis Association to make this kind of statement. The truth is that the White Taxis Association expects to be able to continue its monopoly status in this situation while providing a shoddy and very expensive service to cruise ship passengers.

VISET said it expected to be able to compete for cruise line business in the Mediterranean with other service providers and cannot be expected to be hampered in reaching this goal

by anachronistic and outdated

business practices.

In this context, and in an attempt to improve the service provided to cruise ship passengers and add value to the service given to these passengers, VISET launched the coach service that transports tourists from the Valletta waterfront to Valletta and back.

VISET said it feels aggrieved not only by the protest and action taken by the taxi drivers on Saturday but also by the lack of support that it received from the police authorities who, rather than clearing the assembled taxi drivers at the exit from the quays, decided to give in to their requests by ordering VISET to discontinue a service it was providing to clients. VISET added that it had already formally notified the police authorities of a similar incident in September last year and had asked for criminal action to be taken against the assembly by taxi drivers – but no action was ever taken.

VISET intends to press for criminal action to be taken with respect to both the September 2003 incident as well as the events that occurred last Saturday. Meanwhile, in a judicial protest filed in court yesterday, the White Taxi Association said it will be holding VISET responsible for damage they sustained when it provided means of transport which evoked unfair competition.

The association said it did not want to create a monopoly of transport from the cruise liner terminal and that was why it never spoke against the idea of installing a cable car and the lift.

Dr Joe Giglio signed the writ.