The reviews of submissions from interested economic operators keen on providing their services within the free school transport scheme began last week by the Education Ministry negotiation team, according to Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.
Asked for an update on the scheme, with the start of the 2018-2019 scholastic year drawing nearer, a spokesperson for Bartolo said last Tuesday that the MEDE negotiation team had started reviewing the submissions from interested economic operators "in order to start the negotiation process.
"Once the negotiation process is concluded, and the service provision is agreed upon with the service providers, the general public will be informed about the school transport payment reimbursement process, the conditions of the service and the logistics for such initiatives," he said.
State schools receive instructions on free transport scheme
According to reports provided to this newsroom by parents, instructions on how to apply for school transport have been provided to parents of children at state schools, but the parents of children attending private schools claim to have not received the same document yet. This newsroom is not yet aware as to whether the parents of children at church schools have received the instructions.
During the budget speech last October, the government announced that discussions and studies on the initiative would begin in 2018 with a view to offering such free transport for the scholastic year 2018/2019.
In March, this newspaper reported that providing free transport for state, private and church schools together will cost the government an approximate €18 million. The government currently already pays €8.1 million to provide free school transport to state school students, and providing the service to children attending church and independent schools will cost a further €10 million.
Since the initial proposal, both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Transport Minister Ian Borg have said that the government is determined to implement short, medium, and long-term measures by introducing the necessary infrastructure, while also promoting mobile activity to alternative modes of transport in a bid to reduce the effect of congestion on air quality.
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