“We cannot have buses on the roads that do not meet the minimum standards,” Transport Minister Alexis Vafiades told philenews yesterday, saying that they will be put into service only when maintenance and replacement certificates are obtained.
So far so good, dear minister, and we should say bravo to you. But we should also say here, dear minister, that in the contract for the transportation of students, there is a provision, as the president of the Parents’ Association said in a statement to RIK radio, that the buses must have a fire extinguishing system for the engine.
So how did we get to the middle of the school year, after four buses caught fire, to find out that more than 500 buses were not up to standard? And if the companies were in breach, what did the ministry do? Who didn’t do inspections? Are there responsibilities, Minister, that need to be attributed?
F.D.
