The decision by the Transport Ministry to temporarily ban the use of bendy buses on our roads after three of them caught fire has piled further misery on the Arriva bus company.
The bus service provided by Arriva has been riddled with difficulties over the past two years. It got off to a terrible start: the bus routes were disrupted, others were made more complicated, commuters were sometimes left waiting for hours before a bus turned up and the company had serious industrial relations problems.
It got worse: Some of its fleet, particularly the bendy buses, were simply not suitable for Malta’s roads and caused frequent traffic jams. Others would break down in the middle of a journey, leaving passengers stranded.
It is no exaggeration to say that the disastrous introduction of the Arriva bus service was one of the factors that contributed to the Nationalist government’s landslide defeat in March’s general election.
Despite these massive problems, however, the previous government did the right thing to get rid of the country’s antiquated bus service and fleet and replace it with a new modern one.
In spite of Arriva’s massive shortcomings today’s bus service has many improvements over the old system: the buses are modern, environmentally-friendly, comfortable, clean, and air conditioned (when it is working). They cater for the disabled and the drivers are generally courteous and wear a uniform.
The then transport minister, Austin Gatt, had shown a great deal of political courage in dismantling the old bus system, something which had previously been considered to be an impossible task. The problem was with the way transition to the new system was carried out, which was a clear case of gross mismanagement.
Some people have reacted to the so far temporary decision to take the bendy buses off the roads by calling for the re-introduction of the old fleet of buses and public transport system.
This is absolute nonsense; there should absolutely be no going back to such an obsolete fleet of uncomfortable, hot and polluting buses driven by rude drivers. Public transport reform is here to stay. The question is how to continue to improve the system and adapt it to the needs of commuters.
The Transport Minister has now ordered an inquiry by a group of experts into the safety of bendy buses and a report should be issued soon which could determine whether this type of bus is permanently removed from Malta’s roads.
Irrespective of this report, however, it is clear that bendy buses have proved to be totally unsuitable for Malta: they are far too large and cause traffic jams as well as being unreliable. This is enough reason to ban them from our roads.
The Transport Ministry, together with Arriva, should now be looking into alternatives for bendy buses which can carry large numbers of passengers on popular routes such as Sliema, Buġibba and Cirkewwa.
In July an Arriva official said the company would consider the introduction of double-decker buses. Inquiries should begin immediately as the private buses being used instead of the bendy buses will soon be used for schoolchildren as the scholastic year begins.
Arriva has not had a happy two years in Malta, but the company has not helped itself. The bus company’s reluctance to engage with its customers and the press has only alienated it further from an already sceptical public.
Malta needs a friendly and efficient transport system. The question the Government must ask Arriva is whether it can finally provide us with one.