Adapting bus routes to commuters’ needs (3)

Like other routes, the 202 “direct” bus route from Rabat to St Julians cries out for a radical improvement.

Over the past week, commuters like myself have been waiting on bus stops at University/Mater Dei for over one hour. When the bus does arrive, it takes an additional 45 minutes to get to the final stop, Rabat.

The 202 bus is clearly not a “direct” bus but a circular route, steering through some of the busiest roads of Birkirkara and doing a U-turn to accommodate one bus stop where hardly any commuters catch the bus. From experience, it is faster to get to Rabat via Valletta, a sign that the alleged direct route is a complete failure.

I also fail to understand the logic in having two buses per hour, on a route which takes over 50 minutes to complete. Moreover, if one wants to go to Rabat from Mater Dei with the 202, there is a 50 per cent chance that the next 202 will be heading first towards St Julians, and only then to Rabat, essentially almost doubling the journey time. The service is so abysmal that it tempts environmentally-conscious persons to forego their commitment to reducing pollution and congestion on Maltese roads.