Feb 29 – GSD Probes Government Sale Of Blue Buses - Party Says Decision Shows “Lack of Transparency”
The GSD says that, after having asked questions about the disposal of the blue buses formerly used by the Gibraltar Bus Company in Parliament last week, the answers given by the Government “were surprising and can only raise further questions.”
The GSD says that, barring a few buses, the majority (14 buses) were sold as a job lot to Calypso Transport, the company that runs the Number 5 route from the frontier to town. The GSD says that although the recycling of these buses is, on the face of it, “a good thing”, the price for which they were purchased, £15,000 for the lot, just over £1,000 per bus, “seems terribly cheap.”
The Opposition says that this news comes on the back of the “disappointing news” revealed in Parliament last month that the Government, despite the expectation set during the General Election, is not intending to invoke the 'buy back' clause on the current bus fleet any time soon. The party adds that “many users of the service have not been happy with the accessibility of these buses and will have been extremely disappointed by this news.”
Shadow MP for Transport, Trevor Hammond said: "We don't believe that this sale represents either value for money for the taxpayer or transparency on the part of Government. Having conducted some research it appears these buses should have been worth between £10,000 and £15,000 each, even allowing a discount for a bulk purchase, one would think this sale should have realised close to £100,000 for the Gibraltar Government. The fact that the sale appears to have gone through without any clear public notification or tender just adds further to the disappointment and once again highlights this Government's lack of transparency and irresponsibility when disposing of public assets. How was this deal done?'
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