Well-informed sources speaking to The Malta Independent yesterday said the breakthrough had been made after all the parties had reached a compromise. The final agreement, which is still being discussed for technicalities, will be signed in the next few days.

During the discussions the bus drivers were insisting on a wage increase but the government said that it would only consider increasing the bus drivers’ wage if it saw a drastic improvement in the service being provided to local and foreign passengers.

Government sources said the discussions were in line with what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said about the reform in the public transport system on 20 September during the mass meeting on the Granaries. The government’s line of thought was that it would only pay up if it was given the service it expected, and the agreement that is to be signed shortly covers this.

The sources said the government and the bus drivers had reached a compromise between what the drivers were asking for and what the government was prepared to give them. The initial requests made by bus drivers totalled around Lm2.7 million.

At first, the government only wanted to give them Lm1.7 million. More discussions led both parties to reach a compromise – Lm2 million – which will be granted against certain conditions.

This will not be a simple cash grant given to all bus drivers who operate in the public transport system. The government insisted – and the bus drivers have agreed – to tie instalments of this increase to several important measures that the government wants to see introduced into the public transport system.

For example, a certain amount would be granted to the bus drivers on condition that a number of new routes are introduced. Another amount would be granted to the drivers on condition that they introduce a new code of discipline and behaviour. Other amounts are directly linked to a number of other measures to ensure accountability within the public transport sector.

The agreement also includes measures which should be taken in respect of the fact that an exercise conducted by the ADT revealed that a number of the 133 new buses that had been purchased were not being used for long periods, sometimes even as long as four months. A story on this matter was published in The Malta Independent last month.