A screengrab of Times of Malta’s April Fools story about reinstating the old buses.

An April Fools Day story in Times of Malta announcing the return of the old buses was partially fulfilled yesterday when vintage vehicles came to the rescue after all 68 bendy buses were withdrawn from the roads.

No major disruptions or delays were reported as the Unscheduled Bus Service was contracted to plug the gap with 64 vehicles of its own.

Public transport operator Arriva’s huge articulated buses – each with a carrying capacity of 140 – were withdrawn over fire concerns after three caught fire within three days.

One of their replacements was a beautiful old bus deployed on circular route 118 from Mater Dei to Żurrieq, Mqabba and Qrendi.

Since its last trip in July 2011, the iconic vehicle has been restored to its original glory and is now painted in the replica colours of the buses that once plied the Żabbar route: maroon with a blue stripe.

Another old bus, still donning the orange of the pre-public transport reform, was deployed on route 135 from Mater Dei to Marsascala.

Majority of the replacement vehicles were deployed on minor routes

Bendy buses carried four in 10 public transport passengers. Their replacements ranged from modern coaches to grey, old buses that used to operate in Gozo, with a carrying capacity of 50 to 70.

So it came as a surprise to some that the new arrangement, made overnight, generally appeared to go smoothly.

The Transport Ministry said the service was better than expected and few complaints were received.

Visiting various localities during the morning rush hour and beyond to gauge the situation, this newspaper received very few reports of long delays at bus stops or interchanges.

In places like Ċirkewwa, Malta International Airport and Sliema the service was running normally, with no major disruptions and only a handful of people seen waiting.

A similar situation was reported in southern localities like Paola, Birżebbuġa, Fgura and the Marsa park and ride.

The absence of the 18-metre articulated buses from major arterial roads even coincided with less congestion in areas like the Addolorata junction in Marsa, which is notorious for its traffic jams.

Smooth journeys

The only hiccups were due to some drivers losing their way because they were unfamiliar with certain routes.

The majority of the replacement vehicles were deployed on minor routes, with the bus company itself focusing its attention on the major ones that used to be served by the bendy buses.

A Transport Ministry spokeswoman said that each of the contracted buses and coaches made an average of 13 trips to keep up with the normal Arriva schedule.

Sources said Arriva operated a shuttle service on some routes to compensate for the loss in passenger capacity.

An Arriva source said 70 buses usually deployed at the Marsa park and ride were sent elsewhere to cover for the articulated buses.

The source also said that some of the contracted buses were not sticking to their routes, adding that in some cases the vehicles were either too large to manoeuvre in certain roads or not very accessible to the elderly and people with special needs.

Two bendy buses burst into flames on Sunday and another on Tuesday, prompting the Transport Minister to order them all off the roads.

While the incidents are still being investigated, several hypotheses have emerged.

According to University lecturer Prof Carmel Pulé, an engineer by profession, the cause could be a lack of ventilation. In hot climates like ours, vehicles with a rear engine might be more prone to overheating.

He suggested installing a fan to induce forced ventilation, as well as modifying the air ducts to ensure cool air enters the engine, rather than the hot air from underneath the bus.

On the other hand, Arriva is not ruling out arson. Sources said that if the turbo engine is damaged the vehicle can easily overheat and possibly catch fire. They added that this device, which is under the rear flap of the bus, is easily accessible to anyone familiar with these kind of engines.

In other developments, an Arriva driver was reinstated yesterday after being suspended for refusing to drive a bus with no air conditioning.

The driver was following a directive issued by the General Workers’ Union some weeks ago. In a statement, the GWU said the suspension was revoked following talks with the management. The union added that while visiting Arriva’s depots, a number of employees complained to union officials over the working conditions. It has already requested a meeting with Arriva to address a list of pending issues.