When earlier this year the government announced that it was paving the way for the liberalisation of the hearses market, which forms part of the public transport sector, the Public Transport Federation went into a frenzy.

It ordered a strike, with public transport vehicles including buses, minibuses, taxis and the same hearses gathering in strategic positions to block as much traffic as possible, and with some drivers also trying to force their way into the Prime Minister’s office in Valletta.

They were days of tension, but they were also days in which public opinion was very much on the government’s side, increasing its resolve to resist the public transport operators in a bid to start the ball rolling in terms of a much-needed reform in the sector.

Three days into the strike, the government had come to terms with the hearses’ operators, leaving the rest of the public transport sector not really knowing what to do, except to return to work. Yet the government had then made it clear that the liberalisation of the hearses market was just the first step.

Summer has passed and the issue seems to be nearing boiling point once again. The Public Transport Federation has once again threatened to strike unless the government carries out a study that would establish the capacity of the public transport market, saying that the government had agreed to do this before the federation called off its strike. This threat came in the light of an announcement that the government intends to liberalise the taxi sector, proposing among other things the issuing of an additional 500 taxi licenses.

It seems that the federation has not learnt from its mistakes and is prepared to repeat them. It is understandable that the federation wants to protect the interests of its members, but by threatening to strike it will not get anywhere. On the contrary, it will strengthen the government’s position.

It should know by now that in this particular area, the government has wide public support. This is because over the years the public transport sector has failed to upgrade itself alongside with other areas. And in spite of all the promises that were made each time the government reached an agreement with the operators – which often included an increase in the tariffs – the public transport operators failed to live up to the expectations.

Last July’s strike was the icing on the cake, as the public transport operators fought a lonely battle against the government, and ended up losing it. The public’s reaction to that strike was completely against the operators, with the Malta Labour Party steering clear of the controversy other than to call for negotiations.

And now the PTA is once again threatening to do the same thing – go on strike. What do they think they will be achieving if they do this? Have they not realised that, if they had to resort to such action, the public in general will once again support the government?

Public transport operators must understand that competition is the way forward. Just as much as, in other sectors of the economy, competition has led to a general improvement in services offered, the liberalisation of the public transport sector will also lead to an overhaul of a system that is not consonant with the progress that the country wants to achieve.

The government has already said that it will carry on with its plans in spite of these threats. It knows that a reform in the public transport sector is of utmost importance if Malta wants to strengthen its tourism industry as well as provide the best services possible to the Maltese people, who deserve a better system than the one they are getting.