“The safety of our passengers, of our employees, and of all road users, is our top priority, and we have never and will never compromise on this fundamental aspect.”

“Our company has strict procedures in place, based on our extensive international experience, to ensure the safety and security of our buses and everyone on board. The company would never allow buses that are not roadworthy to be put on the road.”

In his protest, Cutajar said that the workers were told that the company was facing difficult times because of the damage incurred by the buses in accidents and subsequent demand for spare parts.

He said the director warned that people would have to be fired unless the situation improved. Many of those present began to seek other jobs. Eight mechanics and two electricians left, making it extremely difficult to cope with daily demands.

Cutajar went on to say that he is now facing “immoral” pressure from his superiors, being allegedly pushed to certify buses as roadworthy even though significant repairs had not been done.

He provided two examples.

He said that in January, he was ordered to greenlight two vehicles by his workshop manager Joe Grixti. One bus had oil leaking onto the brakes which could have caused malfunctioning of the breaking system as well as the risk of fluid heating up on the road and causing a fire.

He submitted images of these alleged chats with Grixti as part of his court filings.

Nonetheless, Cutajar refused.

Another time, he refused to greenlight a bus with a broken kingpin in its front wheel but his manager assured if anyone got hurt, half of the responsibility would be borne by the company: “We’re all in it with you”.

Cutajar still refused.

He said he is now concerned that he is risking being fired for ensuring passenger safety, stating that he received two written warnings last month which he believes were “made-up” excuses to frame him and get rid of him upon a third warning.

“We would like to assure the public that our quality control procedures are robust, and we are proud to be ISO certified on both quality and safety standards. Our buses undergo regular inspections and servicing every 35 days as part of our preventive maintenance policy, ensuring that they meet the necessary safety requirements amongst others,” MPT wrote.

“Furthermore, our buses are subject to independent roadworthiness tests, as well as additional inspections and checks done by the Authority for Transport in Malta.”

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party said that these allegations should be immediately investigated.

Do you feel unsafe on the MPT buses?