It might not be the idea of a holiday for most but for some the change of bus fleet is a very good excuse for a vacation.

Several British tourists have been milling around the Valletta terminus over this past week, cameras round their necks and log book in hand. These are no ordinary tourists – they are bus spotters.

“I’ve been here for a week. I arrived last Thursday and trailed the old yellow buses and now I’ve got two more days of tracking the new Arriva buses,” said Jeff Lloyd. He has so far taken 700 pictures of buses.

Hailing from London, he is very familiar with Arriva, as they use the same system: “You are welcome to them, they are no good. And also the payment system there is not very efficient. People go through the doors at the back and enjoy lots of free travel.”

Bus spotting is a pastime, in which one seeks to see all buses in a particular fleet or those produced by a particular manufacturer. They are usually armed with notepads, cameras and camcorders monitoring the bus routes.

Mike Ventham from Southampton, in Malta for two weeks of bus spotting, said he normally only took pictures of the buses on the outside: “But I keep a log of the time I took the picture, note down the number plate and write down the route. I also take note of whether I board the bus.”

The old yellow buses, he said, had individual characteristics but, even in the new Arriva fleet, one could spot certain differences: “Not all of them are the same. Look at that one it’s got a 3058 at the side that comes from England,” he said. His word is not to be doubted: he’s been bus spotting for the past 40 years.

Apart from taking photos, Mr Ventham said he was trying to do as many routes as possible. “It’s a bit difficult, however,” he joked, referring to the chaos at the terminus.