Sarah Carabott
Annoyed commuters vent their frustrations
As the sun rose on a bright new week, Arriva Malta woke up with high hopes for the day but commuters’ frustrations reached boiling point.
The company said yesterday morning that following a weekend of training and introduction of UK drivers, plus the temporary sub-contracting of certain feeder services, the majority of bus services were operating with just minor delays.
However, regular commuters complained that although bus frequency seemed to have increased, most of the buses were full up and bus drivers were rarely letting people on board the air-conditioned aquamarine buses.
Therefore, although journeys, like those from Rabat, Mtarfa and Dingli, which went straight to Valletta, were not taking long, people spent much longer on bus stops, waiting to get on board.
Commuters in Sliema and Qormi told The Times they had to leave home to catch a bus an hour earlier than they usually did.
Mater Dei Hospital students were also finding it impossible to get on the direct route buses and had opted to take the longer journey to Valletta, from where they would catch another bus towards their destination.
Some other routes have been lengthened to such an extent that travelling time is taking double the time.
People heading from Valletta to Attard, a journey which would have previously taken around 15 minutes, have to now travel to Mater Dei, from where they have to catch another bus towards Ta’ Qali.
Others, leaving from Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk, complained about the “extra trip” the bus was making towards the Marsa interchange, where it stopped for about five to 10 minutes until another driver took over to continue the journey towards Valletta.
“We never asked for these never-ending bus routes. All we wanted was one which would get us from home to work in the shortest time possible,” said a couple who had boarded the bus at 7.50 a.m. from Żejtun and were still on the bus at the Marsa park-and-ride at 8.55 a.m.
Several commuters said they wanted the “old routes back”.
A commuter from Buġibba said that while he used to reach Bulebel in Żejtun at 6.30 a.m., he now had to leave home earlier and walk further to reach the bus stop at Qawra and he did not make it to work before 7.30 a.m. He added he has decided to invest in a car.
Those departing from Ċirkewwa also have to spend an extra 15 minutes while the bus made its rounds in Buġibba and Qawra.
Former Transport Minister Ċensu Galea said people’s complaints about the previous bus system had not revolved around the routes. People had gotten used to the routes, he added.
“On the one hand, it’s obvious that it would take people some time to get used to a new system, such as this. On the other hand, one has to rethink some of the routes.”
He added it was not enough to say that a large number of people who left Ċirkewwa did not get off at Valletta, because even those passengers who got off at Mosta, Birkirkara and Msida had to go through the delay at the Qawra interchange.
The 15-minute trip from Buġibba to Golden Bay is now taking 30 minutes, as the bus stops at the Mellieħa interchange, he added.
“In all probability a number of routes have to be changed after a number of months… There should be a collection of more comprehensive data of commuting patterns, if this hadn’t taken place before,” he said.
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Ms Francesca Abela
Jul 13th 2011, 01:24
It is very clear that Bus commuters want their old and trusted routes back, all the fancy uniforms, air conditioned buses, electronic timetables etc are not impressing the public. What will impress the man in the street is the ability to get from home to worl or appointments in the fastest possible time and this certainly does not include a round the Island bus tour to do so. Bring back the old routes and introduce new ones but dont take away the routes that people found easy and fast.
Philip Pryce
Jul 12th 2011, 18:44
On Monday I caught a bus from Sliema to Valletta, heading ultimately to Zebbug. This journey takes around 20 minutes by car. On Monday it took 2 hours 10 minutes; a record I think! To cap it all the bus (a white one!) from Valletta to Zebbug had no air conditioning and only tiny flaps for windows. It was 35 degrees outside and the bus was packed all the way. Also, the grumbling masses who were waiting at Valletta to catch this bus then proceeded to buy tickets from the driver. I wonder why they didn't buy tickets from the machines? Goodbye buses, hello car!!
Mrs Marthese Fenech
Jul 12th 2011, 16:15
Tal-Papa area at Birzebbugia is without bus service. We have to walk in the scorching sun for about 2km if not more. And if things remain the same in winter god knows how we will arrive at work or school. In the Orange Bus days we weren't offered the best of services but now this service is non-existent.
Victor Pulis
Jul 12th 2011, 15:51
I foresee a huge defection of passengers who used the public transport because of the insane route system with the result that fares will explode to make the venture profitable and viable.
cettina portelli
Jul 15th 2011, 19:22
then perhaps car pooling will become popular in malta! im giving lifts to friends and neighbours when i use my car to ANYWHERE. i NOW have to drive my son to work to santa venera and back. if i see anyone i know on the bus stop waiting, i always call out where im going and inevitably, there is always someone grateful for a lift. free, of course... it makes no difference to me if i have four passengers or one...im still going to the same destination so why not help others?.and im not the only one trying to save people from frying in the sun while they wait, and wait and wait..... BUT, at this rate, ARRIVA is going to lose more and more customers every day because people simply cant afford to arrive late for work, hospital appointments, etc. yes, i also see a rise in fares which will backfire as more and more people will look for alternative, and RELIABLE means of transport!
Mr Christopher Grech
Jul 12th 2011, 14:41
Better still why don't the Maltese citizens take Transport Malta to court? They forced Arriva to abide by their routes.
Apart from the disruptive actions by Arriva's employees, the nonsensical routes, were made according to theories, by consultants to Transport Malta. It seems that these people had either no common sense, or did not do any pilot studies.
By sitting in an office not knowing what passengers want, is what caused the major troubles to the new system. It is unfair to Arriva, to put the blame squarely on them. They tried to fit into routes which did not make sense.
Perhaps to win the contract, they had to grudgingly abide by them, and this is another point to raise. The client should be king and not some consultants that brought the system to its knees.
Joseph Barbara
Jul 12th 2011, 17:34
I agree with you entirely. To me it seems that those who decided on these routes, always use their private cars and probably never boarded public transport. Wouldn't it have made better sense to involve regular commuters from various districts and listen to their opinion before introducing new routes, some of which simply do not make sense at all? I am convinced that some smart Alec tried to be smarter than he actually is and produced a mess which could have easily been avoided. Let us hope that stubbornness gives way to common sense and that which is blatantly wrong will be changed to what is practical.
Mario Ellul
Jul 12th 2011, 13:45
Can somebody organise an on-line petition to get out routes back please? Then it could be presented to the Prime Minister and he can decide haow to deal with it.
Julian Mompalao de Piro
Jul 12th 2011, 12:47
viva Arriva
Anthony Cardona
Jul 12th 2011, 12:38
Is it possible the Maltese Citizens take Arriva to court for management negligence?
Mr mark johnson
Jul 12th 2011, 13:26
TM changed the routes.
Arriva only do the buses.
Sarah Grech
Jul 12th 2011, 11:29
Why do we need interchanges? How do you explain that on an island where it takes you a miximum of one hour to reach from one point to the other, you need to stop for 5 or 10 minutes on a bus before you leave for your final destination? Are we so in love with the idea of being like other countries that we are ready to sacrifice practicality?
As much as we would like to be like London and other organised european cities, we have to admit that we can never reach their standards (for many obvious reasons).
And to think that the Minister promised us that there will be no more 'buzullotti'. Dear Minister, the 'buzullotti', it seems, are here to stay.
Mr David Smith
Jul 12th 2011, 10:41
Hal Balzan is not well served!
Commuters have to walk a long way to catch a bus to Valletta, and there is no direct service to Sliema...Balzan - change at Mater Dei - Sliema (minimum one hour). Couldn't there be a Birkirkara bus which passes from Balzan, onto Sliema?
R Axisa
Jul 12th 2011, 11:42
Hal Balzan only is not well served???? I think all Malta is not well served!
Mr ALBERT LEONE GANADO
Jul 12th 2011, 13:03
I fully agree with DS that . Balzan really takes the biscuit in being totally underserved by the new bus routes . This morning I took a 10 minute walk to get to the strickland bus stop opposite corinthia. There is a bus stop but no timetable affixed. A bus never turned up for 45 minutes and I reckoned it would have taken me at least two hours to get to university. Before on the 810 it was a 15 minute ride albeit with a hourly service which was however always on time.
I suspect that besides the current problems we also got a raw deal because we have the most lethargic and indifferent to our needs council who I suspect made no determined representations to have a proper bus service for Balzan residents..
E. Mifsud
Jul 12th 2011, 13:33
Yes Mr. Smith, there is a bus which links Sliema directly to B'kara and Balzan (near Smart supermarket). It's No. 202 which goes from St.Julians to Rabat and vice-versa. You only have to check the information literature which was sent to our homes by Arriva. By the way, I used the 202 bus myself and was very satisfied as it also connects with Mater Dei hospital/University and Attard. Well done Arriva!
Mr Tony Camilleri
Jul 12th 2011, 13:52
Ask those from the South what crap service they are given bu NON-Arriva-L.
Mr Andrea Damato
Jul 12th 2011, 10:33
Maybe the old bus service had some rude and indisciplined drivers, maybe the old bus service had old and dirty buses but for sure the service was there, regular and very convenient.
This reform spearheaded by Austin Gatt & Co is a complete disaster.
I for sure will never use this inefficient and ridiculous service and prefer by far to use my own car.
We never get one right in this mickey mouse country!
Suzana Bidemark
Jul 12th 2011, 13:50
I cant agree with you, with the old bus services. According to the old routes schedule there should come 6 buses within an hour, but only 1 came. So i call that bad service!
We had never had any problems with Arriva in Sweden, so just give them a chance and stop whining!
A Saliba
Sep 12th 2011, 20:38
@ Ms Bidemark
We're not whining Ms Bidemark, we are saying how things really are. I think the organisers had enough time to do their homework in planning this project. Enough is enough people have very good reasons to complain. We want to go to our destinations and arrive on time not go on trips around Malta. We are not on holiday. You cannot compare Sweden to a tiny island like Malta. We require direct trips and not nonsense interchanges which make it more time consuming. Yes the old bus service was better all they had to do was add more routes and frequent departures. Is it that difficult to realize what people really needed?
Anthony Roberts
Jul 12th 2011, 10:28
If the students are unhappy about having to get two buses, how must the elderly and sick feel when they have to do the same.
Carmel Zammit
Jul 12th 2011, 10:22
Yesterday I had the opportunity to board one of Mr. Bastow's 'state of the art buses'. The bus (a white one) had no airconditioning and closed rigid windows. I could not stand the heath inside so I had to leave the bus again before it even started the journey. So much for Arriva's claims of the quality of buses it provides.
Additionally it looks like Arriva has decided to combine routes 61 & 62 together. There is no objection to this but commuters should be made aware that either bus routes service both destinations i.e. Siggiewi and Zebbug. If as it happened yesterday the destination route number is fixed at 62 (Siggiewi) but the bus goes also to Zebbug commuters to this locality would simply ignore the bus when they are on a bus stop. This only results in unnecessary delays.
Tony Zammit
Jul 12th 2011, 11:19
Yesterday same thing happened to me on BUS-300 at about 10-11 a.m. Poor driver that was driving sweat pouring out if him. Felt sorry for him. I left the bus but he had to stay there. For a lousy pay...
Andrew Holland
Jul 12th 2011, 11:55
That white bus would likely have been a temporary loan from one of the Arriva companies in the UK. These have been made, I believe, to allow Arriva to overhaul the former ATP buses it acquired before returning them to service. One would hope that part of this process would be the installation of air conditioning equipment...
Caroline Young
Jul 12th 2011, 18:32
Driver last saturday had earings used mobile while driving and was far removed from polite. In gozo many buses dont turn on the ac,
Patrick Sacco
Jul 12th 2011, 10:12
To be honest, I am avoiding ARRIVA buses like the plague.
If I want to run an errand, I'll do it in my hometown or through online shopping.
The mere fact that this chaotic messy system has to drag on up to the end of the year gives me the creeps!!!!
Caroline Young
Jul 12th 2011, 18:33
I too am avoiding this dreadfull service and seriously considering using the car to travel in malta, is that what TM wanted more cars on the road more pollution.
Joe Hili
Jul 12th 2011, 10:08
In Gozo the worst hit is Xewkija. Not even one bus passes through the Xewkija center, but only from Soil Street which is on the outskirts of the village. Those who live near the Xewkija Local council, it is easier for them to go to Victoria on foot than to walk to the nearest Bus stage. Where is the usual bus that from the Xewkija Square, passes from near the Local council to Victoria? Are the people living in that area , sorry to say, animals?
V. Cauchi
Jul 12th 2011, 10:07
I yesterday saw a bendibus on Rabat Road, Mriehel, with just 4 (four) passengers on board.
I recall being told some 20 years ago by a then Transport Department officer that a bus has to be "sold" some two-and-a-half times its seating capacity to make that trip break even (no profits). That is, a 40 pax bus has to sell 100 tickets on each trip to make that trip fend for itself.
I am sure the underlying principle for the whole re-organisation of public transport (bus size, trip frequency and routes) has been that of making each trip, and eventually the whole business venture, fend for itself, perhaps even at a higher proportion than the said 2.5/trip.
That raises a question. Given that a government subvention used to be given out of public funds during the past years, was public transport being considered as a "social utility" which had to be aided as a sine qua non for general public mobility? If so, what is causing us not to give this subvention any longer (European laws, perhaps?) and causing us all this hassle in going fully commercial all of a sudden?
I recall the expression of the manager of a British agency in Malta who, when asked for some special favours, said "We are not a charity". With this foreign mindset in benevolent Malta very little can be achieved by changing systems overnight, let alone by dismantling temples to build newer ones just for the sake of prestige.
As it is, the ripples from this change shall be felt for a long time, if not be altogether counter-productive to many novel principles Govt would like to promote.
Mr Brian Smith
Jul 12th 2011, 09:43
Well it can only get better and it is doing day by day and when all the data is in about the bus routes they will be changed and you will have a much better bus system than before.
Caroline Young
Jul 12th 2011, 18:36
Well if you can come up with a reliable service to better the old 645, I for one will be surprised. Last saturday was the trip from hell
cettina portelli
Jul 15th 2011, 19:30
and why was this not done beforehand???? why do commuters have to go through hell just to get to work because the "DATA" about bus routes wasnt thoroughly researched???? SHEER UNPROFESSIONALISM!
Wilfrid Buttigieg
Jul 12th 2011, 09:40
Whoever designed or planned the routes really made a complete mess of the job! GO BACK TO THE OLD ROUTES PLEASE FOR A START....Improve things later!
Mr Giovanni Rizzo
Jul 12th 2011, 17:38
..........u b'hekk jinqata hafna tgergir,imma it just happens li hawn min jidirlhu li jaf hafna f'dan il-pajjiz.
Stefan Enge
Jul 12th 2011, 09:30
When do we see finally busses pass through Pembroke? More than one week and I havent seen a bus.
Paul Camilleri
Jul 12th 2011, 09:20
Interchanges are normally used in long distance travelling where the time spent during the interchange stop could be recovered over the long journey between the two destinations. On the local scene interchanges are the result of a longer trip duration and further hassle to commuters.
M Micallef
Jul 12th 2011, 09:12
I am almost sure that whoever planned the new bus routes has NEVER repeat NEVER used the public transport before. They are totally ignorant of the needs of the common people who have no other choise but to use public transport. They should have kept the original bus routes at least for some time and then change some of them as needed. Before Arriva started we were promised so many nice things but so far things have gone from bad to worse making former short journeys much much longer. One suggestion to Arriva. If you want people to use your transport consult the common people not some big heads who would never use public transport because they are comfortable with their own airconditioned cars and have reserved parking places ready for them wherever they go just because they are who they are. Go back to the old routes IMMEDIATELY not wait till the end of the year to revise the routes. Please have some respect to the common people who are suffering so much in this Summer heat because of somebody's irresponsible decisions.
Harold Cameron
Jul 12th 2011, 09:40
Going back to the old routes appears to be what most people want to see, but I wonder if Arriva have sufficient vehicles or staff to do so. However with the large paper route numbers being used on the windscreen of the Arriva fleet it's beginning to look a little more like the old sevice as each day goes by.
Mr Joe Gatt
Jul 12th 2011, 10:02
Go back to the old routes IMMEDIATELY revise your messed up routes immediately. Show some respect to Comuters, they are suffering in this Summer heat, thanks to somebody's irresponsible decisions.
Someone`s stupid Decisions sounds so much better, and more like it.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
Jul 12th 2011, 09:06
In Cyprus the country's defence minister and a most senior military official have both resigned following the explosion.
In Malta, the ministry responsible, Transport Malta and Arriva made a hash of things when the new transport system was introduced. Who is going to resign? Surely somebody is responsible. Probably these places (excluding Arriva) are filled by very well paid political appointees so I am not holding my breath.
vincent a galea
Jul 12th 2011, 10:17
Cannot understand why ARRIVA has complicated the issue so badly !!
Could we not have just changed the buses and left everthing as it was.... ????
But then of course, this would not have justified the vast expence, terminuses, etc etc etc...
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD !!
vincent a galea
Jul 12th 2011, 10:19
Did you mention the word RESIGN ?????
How dare you ????
SHAME ON YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ms f vincenti
Jul 12th 2011, 08:58
If the aim was to discourage people from using public transport & resort to their own means of transport, thus increasing pollution, consumption of high priced fuels, more traffic jams & enrage people, then the Minister is doing an absolutely perfect job. Let's face it, there is nothing commuter friendly, time or money saving, convenient or inviting about the long routes one has to struggle with to get from A to B. No one wants to take a scenic tour of Malta unless they are retired, bored or suffering from amnesia. The routing system is completely wrong - simple as that.
Mr Brian Smith
Jul 12th 2011, 10:09
The aim was to stop busses spewing out thick black smoke that choaked anyone that was in it's path and polluting the Island
Eric Camilleri
Jul 12th 2011, 10:10
Well said. The end result will be a huge influx of people using their private cars to get from A to B. The present traffic congestions are a clear sign. Commuters want to get from A to B through the simplest route possible and not an endless route. Yesterday a friend of ours with 2 small children insisted that she wanted to reach us at Ghadira by trying out Arriva. It took her 3 hours to get from San Gwann to Mellieha. It was more of a pathetic tour around towns and villages that had nothing to do with getting to Ghadira for a swim. Needless to say that travelling back home she opted for a lift back with us. Here future travels will from now be with her private car.
Sonia Bongiovanni
Jul 12th 2011, 15:39
Mr. Smith, standing for hours in the Maltese scorching sun is also bad for your health you know!!
Mr Eric Soames
Jul 12th 2011, 08:48
And the current Minister responsible says ..... ??
Gaetano Attard
Jul 12th 2011, 09:42
And the current Minister is still about the Divorce matter.
Incredible !
Mario Desira
Jul 12th 2011, 10:37
Blabbering nonsense about divorce euthanasia and abortion. Never mind that those who already have been born are being made to pass through hell to get from A to B!
Ms Susan Baker
Jul 12th 2011, 12:00
"Don't you just hate it when that happens?!"