When Arriva services began two years ago, it took Kristina Chetcuti more than three hours to get to Għadira. This week, she tries the trip again.

Much has changed at the Valletta terminus: people no longer wait in the sun; shade tents have been put up everywhere; there are little orange kiosks selling pastizzi and a vast array of cream pastries. Passengers sit happily on the benches, tucking in while they wait.

The digital display boards are working and commuters seem to know their bus bays.

Compared with the bevy of Arriva and Transport Malta officers wearing yellow bibs and acting as information points, this time there is only one Arriva customer service officer, who seems to be coping confidently with the slow stream of queries.

“Għadira? You can go via Mġarr, route 37, but you’d have to wait half an hour. Your best bet is bus 41 or 42 – you’ll need to walk over to the bays by the Phoenicia Hotel.”

The ticket machines are working smoothly and most people are purchasing theirs before they board the bus.

At 10.40am the driver is waiting outside bus 41, sitting on a bench with a watch in hand.

“The bus leaves at 10.55am, madam.” It did indeed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention, we are leaving now,” announced the driver to the beachgoers.

The electronic board on top of the vehicle indicated the bus number, the direction and a pre-recorded voice announced each stop a few minutes ahead.

There is just one problem: the air conditioning was off – or maybe it set so low that as more and more commuters crammed into the bus, with sealed windows, it became claustrophobically stuffy.

This time round, commuters no longer blame Lawrence Gonzi or Austin Gatt for the problems.

Along with the change in government, there has clearly been a shift in the ‘anti-hero a post now occupied by the new Prime Minister.

As the bus drove past Birkirkara Labour Party club, with posters of Joseph Muscat hanging in the balcony, one commuter said: “Look at us in this heat – that’s because he’s no longer putting money in buses, he’s using that money to put the price of petrol down. It’s us who don’t have a car that suffer.”

His fellow traveller agreed: “It would be better if he came and took a photo with us while we’re packed here like sardines in this heat.”

Perhaps the driver heard the complaints, or maybe the cool air came on at the moment, but as the bus drove past Lija, cooler air wafted through – to a general sigh of relief.

The woman sitting next to me confessed that we were lucky.

“In most bendy buses the air conditioning never works. When I’m on other routes it’s not the first time that the bus breaks down and we have to get off and wait for another one,” she said.

The problem seems to get worse in summer.

“I think it’s because there’s more people on buses and because the air conditioning strains the engine... it’s worse when buses go uphill. That’s when they stop working normally,” she said.

A commuter sitting next to her complained about the customer service department: “Whenever you call from a bus stop to enquire about a bus that wouldn’t have turned up, they always say it’s on the way. And in the evening no one ever answers the phone.”

It is clear that two years on, the volume of the complaints has gone down, but the frustration is still there.

Drivers have their own difficulties too. On a few occasions the driver could not pull into the bus stop as cars were alighting there.

“Lack of respect,” he muttered.

The drive was slow and the bus, which, like all the others, has lost its pristine look, rattled and shook all the way.

Nonetheless, this time round it takes a more decent one-hour-and-15 minutes to get to Għadira Bay – an improvement on the three-hour journey two years ago.

Bar the air conditioning, the teething problems seem to have been sluggishly ironed out. But maybe some things will always stay the same.

A comment by an Indian tourist summed it all up: “You have very beautiful views in Malta. Everything is dried up.

“This is a very jolly ride and it’s very bumpy. Very interesting.”

More information on www.arriva.com.mt/summer2013 or tel no. 2122-2000.

What bothers people?

A public consultation process last May which saw some 3,500 submissions revealed that:

Fifty per cent of commuters who took part were mostly concerned about schedule time-keeping, bus capacities and routes.

Seventeen per cent were irked by driver behaviour, bus conditions, and Arriva customer care shortcomings.

Thirteen per cent of complaints concerned bus frequency, with 11 per cent pointing out shortcomings in bus stops and shelters.

Fare deal for summer

Arriva adopts its summer schedule today, aimed at improving reliability and meeting commuters’ demand.

It includes a number of new services to popular summer destinations including beaches, improved connections with the Gozo ferry, and changes to the pick-up and drop-off points at bus stations and interchanges.

Arriva said it is also providing drivers with improved shifts and rosters.

The introduction of the schedule was delayed by a month after drivers protested over the initial rosters plans.