Taken for a bus ride

I am a bus user by choice as I enjoy the relaxed way of travelling and the often efficient and moderate service. On August 25, I was with my daughter and other passengers on a bus operating route 49 from Valletta to Bugibba. Having boarded the bus at Birkirkara I immediately noticed three jerry-cans near the driver full of some kerosene, one of them without a cap and its liquid nearly spilling over with the bus's toing and froing.

An overpowering smell of kerosene pervaded the bus and people were disgruntled about this. The bus was crowded with the full complement of standing passengers, in the extreme heat with hardly any windows that could be opened! Finally; with a crunching effort, the bus broke down and came to a grinding stop at 11.45 a.m. in Mosta.

The driver left his cabin and asked two passengers sitting immediately behind him to stand up so he could try and "fix the bus". After plenty of useless efforts, some really "flowery" language and having held up a long line of traffic, all hooting, up Constitution Street, Mosta, the driver alighted from the bus to face the oncoming vehicles and give their drivers a good piece of his mind (in his special language).

We all had to leave the bus and board another while I nearly fainted due to the heat and the putrid smell. This, together with the driver's slipshod way of driving, with quite a few hair-raising moments, left all and sundry in total disbelief at the much-touted "improvement" to be expected from the public transport system in Malta.

It makes me think again before leaving my car in the garage as it really is not a case of "it pays you to catch the bus" - it is not at all better to travel by bus.