Endless wait at bus stop

I could have written directly to ADT and Fgura local council but I decided to publish my complaint and suggestions on this paper because I believe that the situation I will be highlighting below exists in localities elsewhere in Malta, besides Fgura.

Fgura happens to be one of those localities which, in spite of its enormous dense population which exceeds 12,000 inhabitants, has no and will probably never have a bus terminus because of lack of space! Although hard to believe, this is understood because there seems to be no adequate space for a bus terminus.

Like several villages and towns in the south of Malta, a number of people residing at Fgura belong to a lower socio-economic class, who may therefore have to depend on public transport more than the people of the north.

But it is unacceptable that with all the inhabitants of Żabbar or Marsascala, the bus leaves these terminuses full up, with the consequence that by the time these buses arrive at Hompesch Gate they keep driving past Fgura hardly making a single stop because they are already packed like sardines! This is not the policy they adopt at the Valletta bus terminus, when they often leave half full with only a few people sitting down and refuse to accept more people on board in order to pick up more people along the road. So, why isn't the same policy applied when they depart from Żabbar or Marsascala?

Nowadays, dispatchers and bus conductors are equipped with radios. It's not the first time we see these people communicating with bus drivers to inform each other that, for example, at main road X there is a major traffic accident. And then they make the necessary adjustments to avoid the traffic jam or whatever problem might exist on the road. So, why shouldn't they also communicate on behalf of the poor people waiting forever at the bus stops in the hope that the next bus finally picks them up? Why shouldn't they contact their base telling them that at Fgura they did not make a single stop so that they can send a relatively empty bus from Żabbar or Marsascala?

A driver once told me that one of the major problems is that there may not be enough buses on standby to meet demand. But if this is the case, then I suggest they analyse those towns and villages that are densely inhabited with people including those coming from the lower socio-economic bracket. In other words, they have to prioritise, that is if only say 100 buses are on duty on a particular day, 55 should be allocated to the south while the remaining 45 should be allocated to the north. This is no discrimination. This is just being fair.

I think that with some logic, and better planning, local councils which have the same problem as that of Fgura could reach a better solution for the public transport needs of their residents.