Arriva orders 174 new buses for Malta

Jenny Andersson

Jul 10th 2011, 15:01

It is embarrassing to see that these buses don't properly address the need for people with wheelchairs or families with children and baby cars. The narrow passages made it a nightmare for us with 2 baby prams to get in or out. It was literally a chaos and we have 2 small prams. This problem would have easily been solve with buses that have 2 wide entrances one in the front and one in the back to allow the proper flow of passengers with special needs. After introducing a proper system of public transportation you would assume the government would have done research about this and ideally try to improve this.

Liam Kelly

Jan 31st 2011, 13:44

Cant help thinking folk are missing the point here...,

The main problem with public transport in Malta is the human resources, not the equipment.

I couldnt care less if the transport that turns up for me is a horse and cart as long as its on time, follows the correct route and the driver doesnt have the tendancy to hit/short change/shout at you.

As for the eco friendly argument...do me a favour.

And King Long? I'm not an expert on busses but would these be the same manufacturer who's buses already on the island are falling apart and shakeing like nothing on earth?

Personally i'd have preferred to source the busses from existing Arriva Fleets around the UK, at least it would have been cheaper and considering they will have been properly driven they'd have probably lasted longer than getting cheap imports just because the partner happens to be an agent.

george grech

Jan 29th 2011, 18:30

x ma jibnix nofs san giljan tumas group!! ergajna!! qliegh ta miljuni kbar min fuq il buses u l poplu bil guh!!

alistair busuttil

Jan 29th 2011, 16:51

tumas group is the agent of king long buses and coaches it is obvious arriva will order king long buses,that is one thing why they are business partners

Pule' Carmel

Jan 29th 2011, 15:33

Considering all the polution that goes in the MANUFACTURING of any Bus, including, smelting and forging steel for chassis and accessories, Tyres, engine block production, copper and insulation and paint production for motors, generators, hydraulic components,
solar pannels, lead or other modern materials production for batteries and energy and pollution to produce petrol and diesel or gas, textiles for seats and suspension sytems and padding. After the life time of the bus all this has to be thrown away and disposed of and all this cannot turn to fertilizer as the horse dung used in the Pony express era or the London Carriages where the streets of London were Poluted with other diverse horse deposits other than urine! Please lads do not be so gullable, we are only transfering pollution to other people homes in other countries as India andChina.Please have a look at the remains of the smetlng process inAmerica and see where all the remains of smelting is deposited, and imagine the fresh water systems in the underrock below that hot slag. Have a look at Indian shores andpeople's conditionwhere the largest oil tankers are sold and bought for scrap. Sometimes I hate myself for being an engineer!

K.Portelli

Jan 29th 2011, 14:14

Well, considering that our current buses are somewhat a horror to ride on, we still have some who have a few years still left in them... Even tho they improved the bus ride to make it more "comfortable" towards the citizen, I think it would have been a much better idea to "educate" some arrogant drivers we have on our islands because I think that is what NEEDS to be improved. On the whole, I think we should at least appreciate this "improvement" that the government is offering to our country.

Only two questions...

1. How much will a bus fare cost?
2. Is the bus system going to remain the same? (that is: direct buses from Valletta to another city)

A.Spiteri

Jan 29th 2011, 13:41

We needed King Short and not King Long. Our narrow roads can't take these buses. It is already bad as it is with Traffic jams. Obviously, it will be a long walk home from the bus stop, come rain or shine or a heavy load of shopping and groceries. The cars will still reign supreme.

gaffarena joseph

Jan 28th 2011, 19:12

Best of luck to Arriva, but it is going to be a very hard task to educate some of the drivers that are now working with the public transport,

J.Agius

Jan 28th 2011, 14:37

I think the best Idea so to accomodate all & stop every one grumbles is simple:
1)New Busses with no engines.2)Those who pay less can push up the hill.Thus no problem for pollution.Busses cost less & no problem for those opting to pay less. I am sending my tender to built these busses.My adress is:
J.Agius &co/New Tech 2050/Castille/Valletta/Malta.(Gozo office closed this year for staff holidays.)For suggestions either e mail on Is sur Cikk Net Tv .@one.com.or Super one.@one.com.
J.Agius(Director)

Martin Büttner

Jan 28th 2011, 10:56

As long as "we foreigners" will have to pay double fees it will pay Arriva (also a foreign company) and the government to make that heavy investment on 174 new buses.

It's a shame that this order was sent to China and not to a European manufacturer. Sure, the price matters, but there are also many European makes which can offer good conditions. It doesn't have to be Mercedes or MAN or Iveco or Scania or Neoplan, it could be Solaris or Vanttool for example.

Any why diesel again? LPG, Electric, Hybrid - there are other and greener options besides diesel!

A. Portelli

Jan 28th 2011, 10:00

For all those commenting non-sense here. Please read the following article http://www.busworld.org/news/article/1014. Also, how many of you have in any European country recently and saw busses with seats for every passenger? Usually they only supply not more then 15 seats for elderly and people with special needs. Also King Long supplies UK with tourist coaches which means that YES King Long are used in other European countries who have 'better standards' then Malta. Who said that the new buses will not be using Bio Diesel. Does anybosy here has any insider info?

Elton Ellul

Jan 28th 2011, 09:13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5RLI9zabmI

These should have been our buses.

Joe Spiteri

Jan 28th 2011, 08:57

I hope the seats are bigger than they were on previous King Long buses because Chinese bottoms seem to be much smaller than ours.

Joseph Fortina

Jan 28th 2011, 08:17

Imma ghala dejjem tgergru..... min ma joghbux juza l karozza. L arriva issa mhux fl interess tahhom li jghatu servizz tajjeb.... issa naraw.... j Alla jkollna servizz tajjeb.

J Oatmon

Jan 28th 2011, 07:38

Excellent news -
"All buses are diesel low-floor vehicles providing easy access, and will feature Euro V engines, air conditioning, comfortable seating with adequate legroom, and Real Time Passenger Information displays including next scheduled stop announcements."

A massive advance over what we now have to contend with in Malta, all the bitching and complaining will not go away (after all nothing is perfect), but we should be very pleased with this situation.

S Mizzi

Jan 28th 2011, 01:22

Euro V is one of most stringent emission standards currently adopted by car/vehicle manufacturers. Some of the most non-sensical comments are really misinformed and quite frankly not backed up with any evidence. Arriva in the UK uses King Long, Optare and MAN amongst other vehicles that it operates. The reputation of low quality Chinese exports is fast receding. More and more big western multi nationals are interning China's relatively cheap manufacturing horsepower into their supply chain making sure it is not at the cost of quality. Companies are aware that if products are of low quality reputation is harmed so the supply chain needs to meet certain standards. As is the case with King Long...so stop being sulky and petulant. This is top of the class kit you are getting...

K Grech

Jan 27th 2011, 22:55

The King Long buses we have are very uncomfortable as there is not enough leg room between seats and I am a medium size guy, let alone for a tall person.
Plus the seats are hard.
If the seating is the same we should have kept our old buses as most of them at least had good padding.

Noel Debono

Jan 27th 2011, 22:45

Can Arriva Malta explain if there are any plans where these buses will be parked when not in use? Are we going to allow drivers to park their buses along our streets without enforcing the law?

David Treble

Jan 27th 2011, 22:26

So Joesph Caruana Xewkija when you and all the other Maltese come to the UK you should be charged more to ride on a bus ???? Unless of course you have a UK passport.!!!!!

M. Spiteri

Jan 27th 2011, 22:13

This morning on my way to work I could hear the driver speaking to a friend sat behind him throughout the journey, (like they do).

He was saying that the Arriva buses are going to have camera's on the outside on either side of the vehicle, so that if any cars enter the bus lane, or don't give way to the buses, the camera's will take a picture and the car drivers will then receive a ticket in the post!
Whether there is any truth in that I don't know. Then I was wondering, will the drivers have a camera in their cabin so they can get a ticket when they are smoking or driving whilst on the phone, or texting?!?

Having said that, hopefully Arriva won't put up with that! Viva L 'Arriva!

D.Cassar

Jan 27th 2011, 22:12

tell them (arriva) a mini minor fleet with a better system and discipline is even better than the disgrace and shameful system that we have operating that is getting even worse by the second a lot of buses are filthier, more routes are skipped and more drivers are offending the general public. GOD BRING FORTH THE 3 OF JULY!!!

D Zahra

Jan 27th 2011, 21:16

Seems to me that the male bus driver in the pic may be Wayne Rooney! Heard he was not doing so well on the pitch lately, but is it possible he could not find anything better than driving a bus in Malta?!! :)

R Saliba

Jan 27th 2011, 21:16

Just a short comment to all the 'expert' commentators below. It really is no one's business from where Arriva buys its buses, as long as they are in conformity with Euro 4 or whatever standards they have to be. Arriva could buy the buses from Mars if it wanted. So, all those who say that they should be bought from Eu are just wasting time writing such nonsense because they have no clue on how businesses operate. End of.

Anthony Ellul

Jan 27th 2011, 21:01

Arriva Malta Limited today signed a contract for the supply of 174 new buses by the Chinese bus manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co. Ltd (King Long).

Why the 174 busses are not ordered from the UE?Is tax going to be paid and by how much percentage For this order outside the EU?

mfenech fenech

Jan 27th 2011, 20:58

I couldn’t care less what kind of buses we’re getting ,anything, I mean anything is going to be better than the filthy buses we have now, and I’m sure and I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure to go on a bus and see the drivers wearing a uniform not undershirts. I’m not one to say this very often, but hats off to the Minister on this.

Michael Eike

Jan 27th 2011, 20:58

I dont know why so many of you are surprised by the choice of buses. Arriva is in co-operation with Tumas Grp and guess who represents King Long on the Island.

C Ellul

Jan 27th 2011, 20:57

The government has legislated for AUTOGAS and yet throws away the opportunity to kickstart this clean fuel technology .
Unbelievable.
This would have removed one of the major source of microparictulates which has been shown to be the main cause of respiratory problems.
Again , SHAME.

Anthony

Jan 27th 2011, 20:51

Dear All,

Most of you are speaking nonsense, public transport sucks in Malta, Fact!
A new operator is coming Fact!
The government was not able to give us decent public transport so he left it to someone else. Fact!
Stop complaining about this new operator before it even starts, why should you? the fact is that that this will improve things ..do not complain about improvement, the government is not able to give us the basic needs but at least it recognizes its incompetence and finally stepped away.
Lets all hope Arriva will deliver.
Gov. keep on privatising things as so far it seams the best strategy PN got ..that of less responsibility about things..

C Galea

Jan 27th 2011, 20:45

Aren't most of our current buses King Long? What's the deal here? They're diesel just like the ones we have here. Just try to breathe while going uphill with one of those buses in front of your vehicle....
Honestly I was expecting something environmentally friendly - with all the promo to buy photovoltaic panels and solar water heaters, with all the promo to purchase low emission or hybrid/electric cars for our families and now we get King Long diesel buses? What an anti-climax...

Stephen Florian

Jan 27th 2011, 20:26

Diesel plus King Long will mean disaster in the short term. Malta deserves much better than that.

manuel lia

Jan 27th 2011, 20:15

imma kif u kif u kif ma tiehdu pjacir bxejn?maaaaa xi dwejjaq ta nies intom......xfija hazin ghax gew ordnati 174 karozza tal linja gdida?tistghu tghiduli xfija hazin?xi dwejjaq ikollok wara 25 sena floppozizzjoni.....tant ikollok dwejjaq li tibda tara kollox hazin....imma kollox ta..........

Charles.C.Brown

Jan 27th 2011, 20:09

Well done to all those involved in the creation of this new bus service. gone are the dirty old buses . however may i suggest that every town and village should keep one of the old buses painted in the same colours like they used to be in the 1960s and use it as tourist attraction.

Jesmond Micallef

Jan 27th 2011, 20:06

Good to read that the reform in the Public Transport on Malta and Gozo is in full swing. King Long have already estblished quite a good base in Malta too, as I have noticed quite a few of thier buses on the islands. They are powered by Cummins diesel engines. A world famous American manufcaturer. All the best to operator Arriva and to all of its employees.

Luciano Mule Stagno

Jan 27th 2011, 20:02

diesel not an ideal choice but hopefully the emissions will be much lower and the service much better. I believe if service was good and routes frequent and on time they will see a surge in usage.

stephen Spiteri

Jan 27th 2011, 19:52

I'd like to ask Arriva one question - Just how many King Long buses do you operate in the UK ?

Kevin Zammit

Jan 27th 2011, 19:40

I dont recall Arriva UK uses King Long ... bet they would not last long if they did :P

Vince Calleja

Jan 27th 2011, 19:31

For everyone's information, we already have King Long buses in our streets!!!! They are not comftable, ramps are not used and seating capacity is much less!!!! A very good deal indeed! Nice future for Public Transport... pity some people believe anything this government promises!!!

k portelli

Jan 27th 2011, 19:25

LET 'S ALL HOPE THAT THE NEW BUSES WILL BE EMISSIONS FREE BECAUSE IT IS DISGUSTING SEEING TODAYS BUSES EMITTING HUGE CLOUDS OF CANCEROUS SMOKE IN 2011 EUROPE. !!!!

Karl Bald

Jan 27th 2011, 19:25

here in england a fare costs 2 pounds (2.30 euro) or more for an arriva bus!

charles caruana

Jan 27th 2011, 19:22

'comfortable seating with adequate legroom' - if those in operation are anything to go by, all of us must have 'Chinese' legs to sit comfortably.

Danny Apap

Jan 27th 2011, 19:20

How wonderful!!! .. How come the 174 new buses being by the Chinese bus manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co. Ltd (King Long). When they could have been made in one of the EU States to help keep the unemployment down, after all Malta dose well out of other EU States monies in funds to help build the roads for the buses.

Joesph Caruana Xewkija

Jan 27th 2011, 19:19

Will the cost of a bus ride remain the same? i hope ours the Maltese will remain as before, but i would make the tourists and foreingners pay higher prices unless they have a Maltese passport, well its a thought and only fair (fare).

Joseph Vassallo

Jan 27th 2011, 19:08

Before the eulogies start... take a gander at this http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_iit-to-help-examine-dodgy-king-long-bus-fleet-in-mumbai_1393763 . "IIT to help examine ‘dodgy’ King Long bus fleet in Mumbai" and "The air-conditioned King Long bus fleet used by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was meant to be a commuter’s delight, but unfortunately it has turned out to be a nightmare. A month after one such bus caught fire while on its way from Pune to Thane, the corporation has now initiated an inquiry, while keeping its King Long fleet off the road." “We have about 15 King Long buses in our possession and many of them are outsourced. When the mishap occurred on May 15, only four of these 15 buses on the Thane-Pune and Dadar-Pune route were operational. However, passengers have been complaining about the buses, especially about the non-functional air-conditioning and breadowns in the ghats near Lonavala,” said Kapoor. "And, apart from Mumbai, two King Long buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) have also been involved in similar mishaps."

Antoine Sant

Jan 27th 2011, 19:06

Who are the local agents for these King Long buses? Just curious...

Edgar Borg

Jan 27th 2011, 19:01

The seats WILL ! accommodate an average tall person as you know and will hear time and time agian "state if the art busses ".

D. Scerri

Jan 27th 2011, 19:00

Not impressed. I'll believe the change when I see it. With the current drivers still operating the customer side of the service, one should remember that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks".

joseph mifsud

Jan 27th 2011, 18:56

pls keith bastow can you tell us how much the fare is.when i checked in your website of arriva there is nothing about the fare.pls we need an answer about the fare.

Sara Camilleri

Jan 27th 2011, 18:52

oh not the King Longs again, with those hard plastic seats - I'm getting a sense of deja vu... The next step is the re-employment of our existing drivers - repackaged and rebranded, but still all the same. Please reassure us that this is not the case

Charles Zammit

Jan 27th 2011, 18:49

All buses run on diesel the report says. According to Mr. Bastow these buses are set to put Malta ahead of many major European cities. Obviously Mr. Bastow must have a good sense of humour. How about Ecobuses which are so common even in lower profile cities and remote villages in Europe?

Joseph Vassallo

Jan 27th 2011, 18:48

I didn't think China was renowned for its leadership in diesel engine manufacture so who is supplying these huge engines and what co2 emissions do they emit? Will they be, shall we say, as clean as French or German engines? I know the report says Euro V but these are offered with a choice of engines ranging from Nissan (Renault), Cummins, Yuchai, Weichai and MAN. Which ones will we get?

A Azzopardi

Jan 27th 2011, 18:43

More of the same old stuff, countries in Europe are using hybrid diesel cars. Also the seats will probably be too small to accommodate an average tall person, if the seats are the same as the old King Long buses

Edgar Borg

Jan 27th 2011, 18:41

Now we have state of the art busses.

Jesmond Farrugia

Jan 27th 2011, 18:31

Well done. A showpiece for the global economy too!