Minister explains payments made to Arriva

Arriva Malta has received monthly payments of €685,416 by way of public service compensation since it launched its bus service in Malta, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said in Parliament in reply to a question by Opposition whip Joe Mizzi. €262,375 was deducted from the August 2012 payment for service penalties. Last month the deduction was €227,525. Over and above the public service compensation, Arriva received payments as refunds of expenses incurred for route changes in the first six months of the service or as a result of infrastructural works demanded by Transport Malta from the operator. These payments consisted of €80,912 for the transport to Malta of 13 additional articulated (bendy) buses, €45,370 for changing colours on 13 buses for temporary use, €1,879,339 for the local sub-contracting of routes between November 2011 and January 2012, and €77,808 for public information and advertising on route changes. The last amount was reduced by €142,261, being €90,525 in service penalties, €34,536 for cleaning works at the Valletta bus terminus and €17,200 for garaging of buses. €508,765 were paid to Arriva for infrastructural works it was asked to undertake. Costs for the...