14/10/2022
Reference is being made to the mentioning of a bus driver in the alleged case involving the issuing of driving licences by Transport Malta officials.
Malta Public Transport clarifies that, to its knowledge, no bus driver employed by the company is involved or has been involved in this alleged case as there has been no contact by the police or any Authority with the company in relation to this alleged case.
Malta Public Transports holds the role of its drivers to very high standards of professionalism and safety. All drivers follow a compulsory training programme upon recruitment, even if they already have a driving licence to drive buses. Furthermore, with safety as the company’s top priority, no bus drivers employed by Malta Public Transport are sent for a driving licence test unless the driving instructor is convinced that they have attained the required skills and competences to present themselves for that test.
With a dedicated training team of 10 fully qualified and experienced driving instructors, Malta Public Transport is committed to providing international standard level of training to all drivers prior to being deployed in service of the public. Every driver undergoes an intense 8-week training programme before transitioning into the service and starts driving buses with passengers. This training is compulsory to all bus drivers recruited by the company, irrespective of experience level, and whether the driver is Maltese, EU or Third-Country National (TCN).
Every new driver starts with an ability test, the results of which are then used to establish which areas need to be focused on. The training provided by Malta Public Transport consists of a one-week classroom-based training programme for the prospective drivers to get their Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) from Transport Malta. This is followed by six weeks of actual hands-on driving on Maltese roads with the driving instructors, and another week of training for specific route learning. During this period, bus drivers are also trained on Malta Public Transport’s bus simulator, which is the only one in Malta, whereby they are trained for specific situations which cannot be effectively taught on the road for safety reasons but are simulated in a safe environment.
Once they have successfully completed the full training programme, prospective bus drivers undergo the driving tests by Transport Malta so that they are given the required licence to drive buses with passengers. Once the drivers are deployed into service, they are further assigned a ‘buddy driver’ for three days for further guidance and supervision, after which they are consider ready to provide the service on their own.
In addition, every driver in the current Malta Public Transport team undergoes an ability test once a year which is carried by qualified instructors and, if necessary, retraining is affected. Malta Public Transport driving instructors also carry out regular Direct Observations. This means that instructors physically board a route bus and assess the driver whilst on the road. Retraining is provided if the driver does not pass this observation test.
The company’s investment in the training and continuous development of its bus drivers is clear evidence that safety is its top priority. Whilst we are aware that there will always be room for improvement in training and development, the company takes the matter of driver training and licensing very seriously and disassociates itself completely from any such allegations.
Back to news