Cyprus will bring in independent experts from abroad to inspect all buses operating under public transport contracts, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeadis said on Monday.
“Preventively, we have a duty to see what is happening with all buses, and that is why experts from abroad will come,” he noted.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a contract signing for a customer call centre for the Road Transport Department, Vafeadis stressed that the decision follows repeated problems identified in a specific type of vehicle.
“I am not saying that all vehicles have an issue. But when I have 14 vehicles presenting this problem, then for me to feel at ease I must look at all of them,” he said.
Obligation of contractors to maintain buses
Asked to comment on the assessment of a Greek expert who pointed to poor maintenance in buses where fires broke out, the minister was clear that responsibility lies with the operators.
“It is an obligation of contractors in public passenger transport to maintain their vehicles according to the manufacturers’ specifications. That is our basic position,” he underlined.
“The expert has found that this was not happening in the case of the vehicles he examined. We say that, preventively, we now have an obligation to go in and check all vehicles, because we had an issue, I believe, with one specific type of bus. There are around 65 such buses in circulation in Cyprus. We looked at 14 of them and they have certain issues in terms of maintenance,” he explained.
Vafeadis added that bringing in foreign experts is not only about additional capacity but also about ensuring an independent assessment.
“I want to know, preventively, what is happening with all buses. That is why we will bring experts from abroad, not only to increase the number of experts, but also to have an independent view of what is really going on,” he said.
The minister also reminded that, in any case, “the owner of the vehicle has the responsibility to maintain it in the appropriate manner.”
Source: CNA