Shortcomings on No. 54 bus route

Every morning between Monday and Friday I catch the No. 54 bus to Naxxar. To what extent is the ADT, the public transport authority, actually exercising its authority where this route is concerned?

This route is used by the staff and students of MCAST and the Higher Secondary at Naxxar. I catch the bus from Birkirkara Valley, by the former Price Club premises. So do a number of students who are destined to get to school late because of the poor service.

Independently of whether there is space on the bus or not, 80 per cent of drivers on this route find it convenient to drive by at great speed (in the middle of the road) to avoid stopping at bus stops to pick up passengers. They are simply untouchable. Why bother to serve the passenger when you can get away with it?

Instead of making use of the larger buses to pick up the hundreds of students from Valletta and subsequent bus stops, the Transport Authority assigns the smaller older vehicles to this route. This, in spite of the taxpayers' obligation to fork out taxes to subsidise the new larger vehicles. Whom and what exactly is the public subsidising?

The larger vehicles are then used - inefficiently - for the No. 55 route which is used by about six passengers travelling to Gharghur and about 44 students who have to walk all the way to the Naxxar schools because of ADT's failure to provide better service. The small number of Gharghur passengers could easily be served with a minibus.

The ADT should also ensure that each bus leaving the Valletta terminus has a bell that works. About one-third of buses don't. If the ADT does not wish to check the quality of its buses, maybe the police should step in. Bus owners are required by law to provide the service.

Another very important issue is the way the 'service' is provided from Naxxar to Valletta. Some drivers abandon their bus and then ask those who have boarded to alight, telling them they are not on the right bus! So why do the drivers not close the door while they have tea in the nearby bar? There is nothing wrong with having tea but why should passengers wait in the cold or told to change bus?

Why not have local wardens or police officers draw up a report of such shortcomings? Bus fares are not cheap any longer but the service has remained below reasonable expectations.

Incidentally, could the ADT publish the No. 54 bus departure times from Naxxar to Valletta after first asking the school heads for their timetable? What is the point of students not being able to catch a bus when they leave the school?

Naxxar schools are attended by students aged 11 to 22. The students attempting to cross to and from the school premises have to negotiate their way through the passing vehicles, which zigzag among them - this is an obvious danger to life and limb. When will the authorities wake up and introduce a zebra crossing? On its part, Naxxar council seems to be imitating the proverbial three monkeys.