Wanted: more conveniently located, less time-consuming bus routes (1)

I recently decided to start taking the bus to work since parking in Valletta has become a nightmare; I took this decision before the introduction of the Arriva service. Marsascala was serviced by four routes:

No. 19, which ran from Valletta to Marsascala every 20 minutes and which did a roundtrip back to Valletta via Żabbar.

No. 20, which ran from Valletta to Marsascala every hour and passed through the Żabbar bypass directly and serviced the waterside area (Ix-Xatt).

No. 17, which ran from Valletta to Marsascala every 20 minutes and passed through Żabbar via Żonqor and back to Valletta roundtrip.

No. 22, which ran from Marsascala to the Three Cities every hour.

I cannot say that the buses provided a perfect service; however, these routes reached the entire area, because Marsascala is now the fastest growing town in Malta.

The new service, no. 91, runs from Valletta to Marsascala via Żabbar (missing Żonqor and the Jerma area completely) and ends its run at the playground in Marsascala. Residents of Żonqor, the Siberia, St Thomas, and the Bella Vista areas are no longer being served. There is a no. 135 bus which runs via St Thomas and goes to Żejtun and ends up at the airport. I am very disappointed by the new service, even though the buses are clean and air-conditioned and the bus drivers are courteous. People who are not used to walking in the summer heat for about an hour to get from their homes to their final destination are not happy with this system.

I appeal to the authorities concerned to look into this matter with urgency, as well as the Marsascala council, which never consulted residents about the new routes.