A number of parents have been left in limbo after their preferred school transport provider was forced to stop driving their children to school as a result of a registration mix-up that took place at the beginning of the scholastic year.

Their children ended up being registered with two service providers concurrently due to a registration form error. They say they are now being denied the choice of their preferred operator because a competitor refuses to cancel their children's registration.

Four mothers, representing several others who send their children to an independent school, told The Malta Independent that they do not know how their children will get to school next week after eCabs told them that it was not being paid for the service by the government since their children are still registered on COOPs books.  

The parents said that, at the beginning of the scholastic year, the education ministry had given the service providers registration forms that were erroneously dated 2020.

Some parents tried to register with eCabs but did not receive immediate confirmation, since the company was waiting for the ministry to send out the updated forms. In view of this, they also registered with COOP as backup.

Unlike eCabs, COOP updated the form itself, so their registrations went through. This, the parents said, meant that, while they preferred to register with eCabs, they ended up registering their children with COOP instead.

Sometime later, eCabs received the updated form from the ministry and sent them to parents, several of whom applied with this company. Consequently, they started sending their children to school with eCabs.

This mix-up only came to light last week, when eCabs told them that it was not getting paid for the service by the government and would have to stop taking their children to school.

By then, the children had become accustomed to their routine and bubble. The parents told this newsroom that they were happy with the service offered by eCabs, which messaged them when their kids had been dropped off to school and sanitised their hands before their commute.

These mothers then contacted COOP to withdraw their children's registration so that eCabs would be able to continue offering its service. They said, however, that they were told by COOP that it would not be cancelling their children's registration.

The parents said that eCabs offered to continue driving their children to school till today to give the mothers and the ministry some more time to sort out the issue and not leave the children stranded.

Another group of parents experienced a similar issue when trying to switch to eCabs after finding themselves "dissatisfied" with COOP.

One of these mothers told this newsroom how last scholastic year, her children would often come home late after school, and that the driver would sometimes use foul language, drive with the minibus door open or drive over pavements.

She noted that after reporting this driver on several occasions he was fired but was then rehired.

When the parents contacted the ministry, they were told that they needed to provide proof of these issues.

This situation is being discussed and closely monitored amongst several mothers on a Facebook group.

Not wanting to go back to using COOP services, some parents have found themselves having to make arrangements to drive their kids to school themselves as of next week, although some parents are not able to do so.

These mothers explained that during their first correspondence with the Ministry of Education, they were told that the school transport service providers had to sort out the issue between themselves but, after complaining, they were told that the ministry was looking into the issue.

"It is not right to force a customer who is unhappy with your service to stay with you," said the mothers.

When contacted, COOP Services Ltd. refused to provide a statement to The Malta Independent.

ECabs Head of Operations Abigail Spiteri said that they are hoping that "common sense prevails" and that the matter will be resolved this week for everyone's clarity.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education acknowledged the complaints and told this newsroom on Thursday that the situation was being looked into by Education Ministry's transport section.

Friday morning, the mothers received an email from the Ministry telling them that they had "analysed the issue" and concluded that the only transport service registration to remain valid will be that of COOP.

School transport began to be provided free of charge to all students who reside more than 1 km distance away from their school following the 2019 budget.

The free school transport initiative was a promise listed in the Labour Party's electoral manifesto and was touted by government to be saving parents some €700 a year.

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After the publication of the story, COOP said "that it shall take all necessary measures and actions in order to defend and safeguard the work and livelihods of its 400 members, their families and employees".

Before the story was published, COOP had been contacted by The Malta Independent for its views on the developing situation but had not provided an answer.

After the story was published, COOP sent the following reply.

"COOP refers to the piece titled ‘Parents in limbo after school transport operator forced to stop due to registration mix-up’ published in The Malta Independet of today, 5th November.

"COOP declares that it had been duly registered as the tranport service provider for the students in question for this scholastic year (as was the situation even during previous scholastic years) and that clearly it would not cancel the registration therewith of the said students when the routes in question were already assigned to a number of its members.

"COOP has been providing school tranport services for a number of decades and has always exerted its very best endeavours to provide a good service to its customers. It did not decide to become a ‘school tranport operator’ following the introduction of free school transport by the Government. The real mix up is being caused by the company which, seeing its dominant position in a completely different transport service sector being substantially eroded by competitors, has decided to resort to machinations in order to strive to prize away the work ordinarily performed by COOP.

"COOP strongly declares that it shall take all necessary measures and actions in order to defend and safeguard the work and livelihods of its 400 members, their families and employees.

"In the meantime, COOP reassures the parents of all students concerned that their children shall be regularly transported to school and back by COOP and that this transport service will continue to be provided regularly and without fail.

 

"COOP further declares that is shall be making all necessary representations, as it has already done, with the Department of Education in order to ensure that the provision of transport services is only procured in terms of the obtainign contractual framework and that the various stratagems and machinations being resorted to in order to obviate the said contractual terms and conditions are completely abolished. In default it shall take all necessary measures in order to ensure that the livelihood of its members do not continue to be put in jeopardy."