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Bus breakdown causes congestion

An Arriva bus (right) suffered a breakdown on the road leading to the MCP car park's main entrance this morning, causing traffic congestion during the rush hour.

Motorists had to drive around the war memorial to enter the car park from the secondary entrance, which has only one gate as compared to three at the main entrance.

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Mr Tony Gatt

Feb 22nd, 12:08

I simply cannot understand why the by-pass is not used. It is a lovely stretch of road and avoids Zabbar. Also, as you say the elderly have to suffer going down that steep hill from Siberia.

LILIANA CAMILLERI

Feb 22nd, 16:09

The reason the bypass is not used is because they have not done buses which leave from Zabbar. Zabbar residents have to wait for buses coming from Marsascala

Victor Pulis

Feb 22nd, 18:29

Avoiding Zabbar is exactly what Arriva doesn't want! Zabbar has no route of its own and has to do withthe 91 bus. The same case with Fgura. By the time the bus gets to Fgura it's full up .It has becaome a rule to board buses with standing room only. That's because there are not enough buses on the road and it's the reason why they are doing a tour of malta on their way to Valletta. The number one bus from Senglea passes by the MCAST with hardly anyone boarding or alighting.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 12:25

Like it!! Obviously didn't heed the advance warnings!!

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 14:23

Yes indeed James... and she forgot to tell him to put his wellies on.

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 11:42

A newish Leyland one then with home-made grp tank added?

Nah! This only happens to Arriva buses.

What of a bunch of bananas!

Mr Michael Galea

Feb 22nd, 11:45

@ James Dewar
before judging about any ifs or buts know the reason why we cause a fuss over what Arriva !! Do you live in Malta ? Do you know what we were promised about Arriva and their buses????

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 11:58

@ Mr Michael Galea:

Sir, he's talking about 30-year-old Leyland chassis with a tank on top...

I think that's definitely a clue as to whether or not he lives in Malta.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 12:11

@ Michael Galea: No Michael I don't live in Malta but visit regularly and have done for 30 years. I have always had a strong interest in the Maltese Public Transport system and closely followed the change to Arriva last year. I visited in June / July to witness the last of the old buses leaving service and the start of the new "service". I returned in September to see for myself how it was (or was not) working. I was very well aware of the boasts made by Arriva as to the 21st Century service they would provide. I am equally aware of the disaster that ensued and experienced it in September last year. ( I was on a "bendy bus" that broke down and had to walk the remaining distance to the terminus!) I have contributed many posts to these columns in support of the Maltese bus users who without doubt have not been provided with the service that was "promised" from the start. Yes there have been improvements but compared to what was promised at the glittering launch night in Valetta they have failed to deliver. I don't think that Arriva will ever reach the levels of customer satisfaction that they promised and the Maltese communrers and tourists alike will eventually grudgingly settle for less. Sad state of affairs and it didn't have to be like that had the change been properly organised and controlled by TM from the outset. However, that doesn't mean that commuters should not keep pressing for what they were "promised" and they should continue to maintain pressure on Arriva to come up with the goods!

Mr Michael Galea

Feb 22nd, 12:15

@ Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Still These buses supposed to be better than the ones we had!!! Breaking down all of the time does not result in better buses, but worse buses!! And Yes Arriva is to blame as the company first reduced the buses to less than half and now they are adding more buses to come to approx the number we had before. The buses that worked in the beginning are starting to breakdown due to the fact that they are almost always on !!! Euro 5 or not after running 7 days a week for the long hours in road conditions like we have it is obvious that they will break down. And by the way where are the famous Arriva mechanics that were supposed to inspect the buses before they leave in the morning? Yes Arriva is to Blame !! We were Promised one thing and got crap!!

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 14:34

I think you are forgetting that the old buses broke down as well, more often in fact, but they did not make the news.

Also, if a safety warning comes up on King Long, the driver is obliged to stop if safety is compromised (for instance, a false negative on braking efficiency). The old buses used to carry on totally ignorant that they had a vacuum leak in their brakes.

Did the old buses stop if they were emitting fumes? No but modern buses are withdraw from service or engines disabled by onboard computer management.

There are many different points of view to take into consideration but don't go thinking that I have no criticism for Arriva. It just doesn't happen to be about a bus breaking down on a narrow stretch of road.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:45

Anthony, Mostly reality with a sting of fantasy in the tail!!

Jason Falzon

Feb 22nd, 11:51

mela hsibt le qieghedin nilghabu monopoly Ton?

graham crowhurst

Feb 22nd, 16:16

I could not agree more!I have been comeing to Malta 2, 3 sometimes 4 times a yr since 74 and have witnessed the all the changes. Arriva will damage Malta. as long as they get the subsidys they dont care.

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 12:06

Yeah! The bus took a long time and the MIA driver was late for work and trying to make up time; besides, last night, the bus was late as well and that made him go to bed late so he was still tired this morning. I think it was the same bus because it was the same colour.


We_e_ell! I tried anyway.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 12:23

@ Joseph Vassallo: Good effort!

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:27

Valid point, most large bus operators have access to such a facility, would be interesting to know if they have!!

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 10:58

Presumably you are not surprised because you are realistic and appreciate that motor vehicles do break down, sometimes at the most inconvenient times and places. Or was that just a touch of sarcasm from you!?

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 11:14

Vera ma' taf xejn habib tieghi. Jien soqt f'l-ewropa kollha u ltqajt ma hafna u hafna karozzi fini li gew bzonn l-ghajnuna fit-triq. Ibda semmi, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Alfa, BMW, il-lista ma' tispicca qatt.

Illum il-gurnata, F'l-Inghilterra, meta tixtri karozza gdida (state-of-the-art, biex inkompli mieghek) jaghtuk sena jew tnejn "road assistance" b'xejn ghax jafu li dawn l-affarijiet jistghu jigru.

Qabel ma' gejt lura Malta, kelli Renault Laguna Initiale li kien ghadni kemm xtrajta. Sitt cilindri, 225bhp, armata b'kull lussu mill-fabrika; kelli ghajn biha, ma' nghidlekx.

Kwazi tletin elf sterlini fix-showroom, imma x'garali? Marruli zewg ignition coils u kellhi nieqaf u nistenna xi hadd igibli tnejn ohra. "Reliability is proportional to that of its components".

Fran Abela

Feb 22nd, 10:46

Why Ms. Hansen - your car never broke down ? Please spare us the usual rhetoric that has been going on since the new bus operator commenced services in July. Join the bandwagon of people always complaining about the new bus operator because that seems to be the fad nowadays. I never expected a perfect service but one has to admit there have been marked improvements but these can be seen only by persons who use the bus service frequently, obviously. I still think the present service is much better than the old bus 'service' where we commuters have been treated like sh*t for several years by arrogant and rude bus drivers and ramshackle buses. Admittedly not all bus drivers were like that but unfortunately the few more than made up for the good ones.

James Camilleri

Feb 22nd, 23:05

@Fran Abela

Oh Franny, Franny! Your name always crops up when Arriva is mentioned. Why are you always defending the indenfensible? So you never expected a perfect service? But that is just what we were promised and instead what did we find ourselves with? A half baked service from a supposedly expert company. And in spite of the service having improved somehow from the mayhem we had at the beginning, the revolution is still way far from being well successful. If you are pleased with it good luck to you. Many others aren't. Well some people are very easily and readily pleased even with substandard service. And I still cannot agree with you that tghe present service is much better than the previous one. Having new buses and nice drivers isn't just enough. What amkes a service is delivery, promptness, keeping schedules, frequency etc etc. In spite of the rude drivers we had much of this before. Now in spite of the "better" drivers be do not. Sorry to disagree with you but like you (or maybe unlike you) I am a daily commuter. Before I used to enjoy commuting, always finding a place to sit and being able to read during my journeys. Nowadays I find myslef being squeezed in like a sardine standing all through most of my journeys. very unhealthy, uncomfortable and definetely not enjoyable.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 10:59

How judgemental!

S Micallef

Feb 22nd, 11:10

Judgemental? really?

How many of the cars on Maltese roads are road-worthy?

This car was so old it should not be on the road but scrapped. And i'm not even getting into all the fumes and exhaust these cars emit! Why bother having VRT testing?

Thanks to this man's selfishness I was late to work.

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 11:39

@ S Micallef:

So it was "This man's selfishness" not "This man's misfortune".

Do you know that some people pay a fortune for antique cars or to maintain an old car because of sentimental value?

I don't suppose you've ever had a car shed a cam belt or fuse an ignition coil.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:53

Judgemental in that your observation is by your own description based on "probability" and assumption re the individual being "some miser etc etc" and as a consequence his car broke down without actually knowing the exact circumstances! All that said you may well be correct in your assumption!

S Micallef

Feb 22nd, 13:16

@ Joseph Vassallo

I don't believe this was one of those cars which was well kept for sentimental reasons.

And anyway, I'm not one to know much about cars, but common sense tells you that a classic or old car + traffic is a recipe for disaster... engine could over heat etc...

The upkeep of a car is a duty for every car owner for safety and protection of the environment.

A Camilleri

Feb 22nd, 17:23

@ James Dewar, Joseph Vassallo

Does it matter?

Stefan Busuttil

Feb 22nd, 10:53

mela issa ixtri karozza gdida state of the art u war 6 xhur tieqaflek . x tghid int kieku li kull karaooza tista tieqaf?? jew tmur ghand l agent u tiekollu wiccu ?? irraguna siehbi !!!!

Claire Busuttil

Feb 22nd, 11:18

@farrugia, geltni nitbissem!!!

hsara go karozza ta 6 xhur biss- le mhux daqshekk kommuni.
u barra minhekk, mhux wahda ta kellha il hsara....so, ara sew il fatti, u nehhi min quddiem ghajnejk dawk il lenti blu, ghax anke f kaz bhal dan dahlet b mod kiefer il politika.
Jekk haga mhux qeda sew, kulhadd irid jaqbel anke jekk ta fehma politika differenti....hekk biss nimxu il quddiem u inehhu l injoranza grassa li hawn go Malta taghna!

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 10:54

The dirt sticking to buses (and other vehicles) is proportional to the dust present on the roads (which turns to mud when it rains). Traffic 'pumps' away water (and mud) out of its path and onto other vehicles (and pedestrians) where it stays until it is washed off.

A clean vehicle becomes dirty again as soon as it passes a moving vehicle. The appearance is worse when the rain stops and the mud temporarily dries.

I really can't see the driver saying to his passengers "Bear with me while I drive to the depot and get a clean bus because that idiot just splashed this one and Arriva promised clean buses".

We have to expect to see muddy vehicles when it rains because that is the nature of our roads in winter

If you were complaining about dirty seats or littered buses, I would sympathise more readily.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:02

"Ah, So" What did it say ? Or was it maybe "King Long" in Chinese!!?

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:04

Absolutely Kevin ! And Ford, Bedford, Leyland, or Mercedes etc etc never ever break down!! Aye right!

Kevin Camilleri

Feb 22nd, 11:27

it's not a question of if they break down, it is a question of the frequency that they break down with. A bus is not a car. You go from Home to Work and Work to home and do some errands in between. A bus is on the go for 7 days a week from 5am to 11pm - straight. You have to have heavy duty equipment to do a heavy duty job! Unfortunately, I have seen more Arriva buses stranded from July than I have ever seen our old buses stranded for the past 25 years! Must mean something no?

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:56

Yes, I agree that there does seem to be a trend but if it is due to lack of proper maintenance schedules that would also be happening with other makes of vehicle. Just so happens that they are Chinese and probably need even more routine preventative maintenance!!

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 12:16

I think you'll find that King Long use German engines in their buses.

Roberta Sciberras

Feb 22nd, 09:39

It seems to me on a number of them only the paint is new. Some they did not even bother to paint. I regularly see a white Arriva bus with a red roof. I don't know if it is always the same one or if there are more than one like that.

Fran Abela

Feb 22nd, 09:57

Put that question to Arriva - according to you new cars/buses should never break down ?

B Attard

Feb 22nd, 10:50

@ Roberta Sciberras
And it's not even paint it's a sticker.

Janet Bayes

Feb 22nd, 11:03

Nothing to do with the "bus" itself. ALLL vehicles need routine maintenance. This does not seem to be happening. Elsewhere in Europe, maintenance is done daily by the maintenance crew - - and drivers must complete defect sheets and file them daily after they check them through. This is what we should be asking the com[any - - are the buses maintained daily??

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:06

Probably just because they are "new and state of the art". More to go wrong! If it aint broke don't fix it is one thing but proper maintenance is essential no matter how new or state of the art the buses are.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 11:25

@ Janet Bayes: I normally don't find myself agreeing with many of Janet's comments but on this occasion she is bang on. Regular planned maintenence is essential and I suspect that at the moment Arriva may not have the facilities to carry this out. It would be interesting for them to be pressed on the matter and to openly demonstrate exactly what their "routine" maintenance procedures are and how they compare to those carried out in the UK and elsewhere where they operate buses. Considering that most of the Arriva Malta fleet was new at the start of the contract there does seem to be increasing concern regarding breakdowns. A bit of a concern given that the contract is for 10 years and presumably Arriva will expect most if not all of the buses to last the full term of the contract. Maybe the "Old Yellows" that are in storage should be kept on a "care and maintenance" basis to be pressed into service again in times of need during the next ten years!

Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)

Feb 22nd, 13:10

@ James and Janet:

Advanced technology has reduced the frequency of servicing on new vehicles. Not very long ago, commercial vehicles needed their oil changing every couple of thousand miles or so. With more advanced tolerances and synthetic oil, frequency is now sometimes extended up to 20,000 miles.

There are warning lights and monitors for brake-pad wear, for instance. Similar computer monitoring of lubricant levels, component temperature etc all add up to expected improved reliability. Brake superficial area and electronic force distribution also improve longevity. So many things and so many improvements.

Somehow, I don't think the redundant 100-year-old chassis had this monitoring; if I remember correctly, tyre-conditions were only monitored once a year at testing time and then the old ones came back out with their bare threads and bulges in the sides. Passengers travelled at their own risk.

Now, I'm not sure about this ;-), but I think the old buses only had a small bird in a cage to monitor the CO2 levels and if that suddenly dropped dead, the driver knew he was at risk of falling asleep at the wheel. Anyway, not all buses had one and some drivers took risks by not taking a bird to work with them, despite the constant fumes from overheated engine-oil.

Anyone who doesn't see the colossal improvement in the bus system is either thick, blind-folded or both.

Three hundred buses on the road and one breaks down... That makes front page news, yeah? But only when there is nothing else to write about...

I too have criticised in the past and will probably have cause to do so again at some time... but to raise Arriva's awareness and not for the sake of complaining.

Reality is fact... our perception of reality is not.

James Dewar

Feb 22nd, 13:43

@ Joseph Vassallo: Joseph I like the idea of a canary in a cage Co2 indicator! Yes agree that modern vehicles have much longer service intervals but whether or not that is a good thing remains to be seen! If it is the case that there are more breakdowns in the Arriva Malta fleet than could reasonably be expected then there are obviously things that need to be done. However given the number of vehicles they operate the law of averages will dictate that there are bound to be a certain number of mechanical or electrical failures. It may be a matter of perception but then again it may not and to allay public concerns maybe Arriva should publish some accurate data to ensure that things are seeen in a realistic context.

Fran Abela

Feb 22nd, 09:56

The more cars we have on the road, the more traffic accidents. Time to see how many cars Malta's roads can take but no one seems to be interested. More and more cars on the roads, who cares ?

maria aquilina

Feb 22nd, 17:19

Today I travelled by bus no 202 from Mater Dei to Dingli.It was being driven by a woman. On two occasions she drove on the pavement because when she came to a bend she could not pass. Imagine if someone was walking on the pavement at that time. I found the triip rather dangerous.

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