Video Newsfeed (Net TV)

 

The bus driver suspended over a Youtube video showing him picking up his steering wheel and waving it around has said that he was not driving when the steering wheel came off and that his side of the story was not heard.

Malta Public Transport have stood by their guns. "The driver involved is not an employee of Malta Public Transport. Nonetheless, given the unequivocal evidence seen in the video clip that the driver kept driving the bus notwithstanding it being clear that there was an imminent risk with the steering wheel, the bus company was not willing to have this driver included as part of its sub-contracted complement".

Early in September, the video was released and the bus as well as the driver had been suspended from service.

On the TV programme Newsfeed, presented by Norman Vella and Louise Tedesco, Richard Pisani (the driver) said the bus was checked before starting work that morning and it was work as usual. When coming down Rabat hill, towards Ta Qali, he felt a crack in his steering wheel. He parked the bus on the side of the road to check what was wrong, however chose to move the bus to a better location as he was blocking the road, he said during the interview.

The wheel had not completely come off at this stage so he felt that driving slowly to a safer parking location was safe.

 

 

Turning up towards Ta' Qali, the steering wheel completely came off. He argued that he brought the coach to a complete stop, in the middle of the road. Another bus came up alongside and the driver indicated to Richard that he should move the bus further to the side of the road. In order to indicate why he could not do so, he picked up the steering wheel to show the other driver why he couldn't drive the bus to the side.

Richard claims he had already been by the side of the road for fifteen minutes by the time the other bus came towards him. "The video showed that I was not moving when the wheel had completely come off," he explained.

The mechanic arrived and fixed the steering wheel and Richard continued his route, he explained.

"I left the AC on in order for the passengers not to feel too hot," he said.

 

 

Following the revelation, he received a call from his superior and he informed me that he will come and take over my route as I was suspended. Richard claims he didn't have a clue as to why at the time. A week later, Richard called the Authority to see what happened as he had been informed that he would be given work after 15 days. The Authority told him that he would be unable to work in the public transport sector again.

"They watched the video and didn't even asked me my side of what had happened, nobody spoke to me. This was my livelihood, I have a family and I don't know how to do anything else but drive".

Richard currently has no income.