Complaints about the bus routes made up a quarter of the suggestions given by members of the public consulted by the Transport Authority, many calling for the old ones to be re-introduced.
22 per cent of responses were about time-keeping and capacity
The authority received 1,284 telephone calls and 938 e-mails, which very often contained multiple suggestions, a spokesman said.
Ever since hitting the roads two years ago, amid promises of a revolution, the Arriva bus service was plagued with problems ranging from delays and impractical routes to broken ticketing machines.
In March, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi launched a four-week consultation exercise to “listen to commuters’ concerns” and suggestions for improvement “to finally have a decent public transport system”.
By the end of the consultation period, April 21, the authority had received more than 2,000 suggestions. Some 23 per cent of the main concerns and recommendations were about routes. The spokesman said this included requests for the old routes back, though none made specific recommendations. Another 22 per cent of responses were about time-keeping and capacity, and 16 per cent about the behaviour of drivers, the condition of buses, information and customer care.
The official consultation reflects the comments posted by readers on timesofmalta.com and in letters to Times of Malta over the past few months. According to readers, punctuality remains a headache with scheduled buses often arriving late or not at all.
The solution, for many, would be to go back to the old routes while keeping the more environment-friendly vehicles and better-mannered staff.
Asked what issues the Government would prioritise following the consultation period, a ministry spokeswoman said a breakdown of findings and the way forward will be given in the coming days.
Last month Mr Mizzi had already announced that some bus route changes would be among the tweaks made to the system over the next two months. Stakeholders would be consulted but some changes would be carried out straightaway, he said.
In Parliament on Monday, Mr Mizzi said some of Arriva’s bendy buses would gradually be removed from routes where they tended to create congestion.