A Canadian expatriate living in Malta is considering packing his bags and leaving the country because of what he terms as the disgraceful service provided by bus drivers.

"Bus drivers consistently ruin the start of my day. I am at the point where I just want to leave Malta because I'm tired of the way they treat people," said Ted French, 57, who moved to Malta last June with his Romanian wife.

The final straw for Mr French, who relies on public transport to commute, came on April 13 when he returned to Malta from a trip to Dubai with a small suitcase in tow.

He encountered no problems on a bus packed with tourists and suitcases from the airport to Valletta. However, when he attempted to board a half-full number 49 bus to St Paul's Bay, the driver wanted to charge him 35 cents for his suitcase.

Mr French protested that the case could fit on his lap and he had never been charged for his luggage before, despite travelling frequently to and from the airport. At this point, he said the bus driver became "belligerent and rude". Mr French asked to see a supervisor, who informed him that if he didn't want to pay he could take a taxi.

"There may be a ludicrous fee which I have not encountered in the past year, although if there is there shouldn't be. If this is the case the fee should be displayed at the terminal and on the bus," Mr French said.

A spokesman for the Transport Ministry told The Sunday Times that a charge of 14 cents was levied for taking luggage onto a bus, although she did not specify how large the luggage had to be.

She acknowledged, however, that "signage on public transport and all means of public information, to the extent they exist, are very poor".

Last Monday's incident was the latest in a long list of problems that Mr French has encountered. He complained that buses often fail to abide by their schedule, if they bother to turn up at all. He has seen locals and tourists abused and thrown off buses without provocation.

He also recalled an incident when his father, who has heart problems and cannot walk far, came to visit. The bus driver initially told his father that the bus would stop in St Paul's Bay, but then only went as far as Buġibba.

"It is the consistent rudeness of the drivers that I object to the most... I have travelled extensively and I have never been charged for my baggage on public transport or seen such rude behaviour from the drivers, not even in Eastern Europe, Asia or Central America," he said.

Mr French has even lived in Iraq, where he was a medical adviser to 900 private soldiers contracted to the US Defence Department. Despite this, he declined to pose for a photo for this article because of fears of reprisals from bus drivers.

"I remember the transport strike of last year and how many policemen were afraid of the drivers, many of whom are uneducated louts and not beyond violence," he said.

Mr French is planning to move to Dubai or Thailand in the summer and believes the attitude of bus drivers could cost Malta more than the presence of him and his wife.

"As tourism is a major source of income for Malta, something should be done... Tourists can have 10 wonderful things which happen to them during their stay, but if they have one bad incident with a bus driver then that is what they will remember.

"This country could easily replace the drivers with professionals who show courtesy, allowing tourists to leave with an enduring feeling that Malta is a place to return to, and to recommend as a destination to their friends."

He did acknowledge that a "small minority" of drivers were courteous, but they were the exception.