Unlucky bus No. 13

Dubbed "il-bus tas-suwed" (the black people's bus) no.13 to Hal Far has gained a sudden notoriety in people's minds.

Bus no.13 rumbled into the Valletta terminus at the crack of dawn. The driver jumped out, ordered tea served in a glass from the kiosk, downed it and was back up, selling tickets to a handful of people taking the first round trip of the day.

Several Maltese and a small number of migrants embarked along the way as the bus yesterday trundled along its regular route passing through Birzebbuga, destined for Hal Far.

By the time it had reached the Birzebbuga bus terminus at about 6.45 a.m., it was practically empty. It went on, past the scenic route, on to the Freeport and through the countryside, before reaching the first stop at Hal Far where 20 migrants got on. Next stop, close to the tents of the open centre, another 30 embarked. The bus was full.

"Move back, move back," the driver said, as two migrants, who were getting off after a few stops, blocked the passageway, to avoid getting stuck at the back.

One migrant, with a smile, prodded them to move on: "Mur, mur". After some movement, things settled down and the bus was back on its way.

Along the route, back to Valletta, the bus picked up a few Maltese from Birzebbuga and Tarxien. Three individual migrants stood up to offer their seat when a woman - no matter her age - boarded the full bus.

Apart from that, the trip was as uneventful as any bus trip most of us have experienced throughout our life. The same thing happened on Monday on the 4.15 p.m. bus trip from Valletta to Hal Far, except that it was nowhere as busy as in the morning.

The Maltese and the immigrants co-existed on the bus side by side, as each went about their daily business - no incidents, no snide remarks or unnecessary stares.

Regular commuters know all about bus no. 13 and will readily tell you it's il-bus tas-suwed, but many others had never heard of the route until Labour MP Joe Sammut mentioned it in Parliament last week.

In his adjournment speech, Dr Sammut complained that Birzebbuga residents were having to wait long hours for bus no. 13 because it was always full up with immigrants heading for the Hal Far camp.

He proposed that the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) either increase the number of buses on this route or consider the introduction of a different service for the immigrants.

The suggestion of segregation drew condemnation from various quarters.

Dr Sammut has since said he did not propose segregation - immigrants given their own bus - but in a letter to the editor published yesterday spoke of "perhaps" having a different bus route to serve the immigrants.

Bus no. 13 already serves Hal Far. Between 6 and 8.15 a.m. it leaves Valletta every 20 to 30 minutes, and then every hour until 7.15 p.m.

The bus to Birzebbuga is actually no. 11, but people of the locality tend to catch bus no. 13 or bus no. 12 (Kalafrana) since both pass through the seaside town.

The problems arise when bus no. 13 stops at the Birzebbuga bus terminus and leaves full up or if immigrants walk the stretch from the open centre to the village core during periods when buses do not pass by so frequently.

Birzebbuga mayor Joseph Farrugia said when contacted that the council's only request to authorities was to increase the number of buses on the Birzebbuga route.

"The complaints we receive are when the buses pass through the locality full up. It's upsetting if people are anxious to get to work on time. Sometimes it even leaves Valletta full. Obviously with so many immigrants living in Hal Far, the demand for the bus service has increased," he said.

Asked if he was receiving any complaints about immigrants' behaviour, Mr Farrugia said there were no such concerns.

"In the beginning we had the odd complaint about damage to the bus, but now everyone is going about one's business with no problem. Everything is quiet and we have no problems with the immigrants, they're human like the rest of us."