Is it time to rethink the bus transport service? (1)

Last week a friend of mine came to visit Malta from Slovakia and was slightly disappointed to find that the old buses, which were so synonymous with our island, had disappeared. My wife and I managed to convince her that the new Arriva bus service is cleaner and more comfortable, and the drivers more courteous, so she bought a weekly ticket.

On Wednesday, July 27, she came to Valletta to enjoy a beautiful evening to the sound of George il-Pusé at Pjazza Regina, and was left speechless by the performance. At about 10.30 p.m., the 61-year-old lady headed for the bus terminus to catch the last bus to St Julians. On the bus stop, there were 12 other tourists waiting for the bus, which turned up, almost one hour late, at 11.20 p.m.

When the bus door opened a gentleman other than the driver told the waiting passengers that this was the night bus and everyone had to pay €2.50 even if they had a daily or weekly ticket. The passengers got very upset since the bus was one hour late and therefore they felt they should not have to pay extra. The last bus had not made its final journey yet.

At this point the driver got up and shouted at all passengers that they must either pay or get off the bus. With no other option left, everyone paid the €2.50 and the bus proceeded on its journey.

Halfway through the route, two Transport Malta inspectors came aboard for a routine check and it was here that the passengers complained about the extra fare. The inspectors explained very clearly that they should not have paid extra and therefore should get their money back. At this time, a Maltese lady who was sitting close to the driver got up and started shouting at the tourists, calling them all sorts of names, then she got off the bus and gave both the passengers and the inspectors the middle finger.

Needless to say, the passengers got no refund and the inspectors got off the bus very rapidly.

It seems to me that Arriva have lost control of the situation and we are slipping to the former regime where the driver was king. Maybe it is time to rethink the whole contract and designate different routes to different smaller operators.