Well what a mess the Arriva Christmas bus service turned out to be!

Their ‘no service’ policy between noon and 3pm seemed to turn into a licence for drivers to help themselves to an extra Christmas present and slope off early.

For example, why did the 119 bus from Marsascala to Marsaxlokk at 10.55am not run on Christmas Day?

We were at the Marsascala terminal with my elderly parents at 10.40am and waited until 11.30am. There were two Arriva inspectors there and when the bus had not arrived on time they called Arriva and told us it should be there at 11.10am as it was running late.

Surprise, surprise – the bus never did arrive and the two Arriva inspectors were now nowhere to be seen.

There were nine people waiting, mostly elderly, and all were let down; many of them were trying to take presents to relatives on Christmas Day. We had a Christmas meal booked at a Marsaxlokk restaurant, so we had no choice but to pay €20 for a taxi. Will Arriva compensate us for this?

There should have been no reason why that bus should not have run. It was due to arrive at Pretty Bay at about 11.30am.

It should be relatively easy to calculate all the buses that would be affected by this midday pause. Arriva could then have published a proper Christmas timetable.

Their failure to do this and so seemingly hand over control to their drivers is not just a sign of weakness but, more so, a recipe for passenger confusion and severe damage to Arriva’s reputation.

So who is in control of the buses on Christmas Day Arriva or the drivers? I think the answer is clear.

So Merry Christmas, Arriva, and thanks for ruining our Christmas Day. I am sure that this tale was repeated many times all over Malta and many other loyal passengers were also let down.