The controversial bendy buses were taken off the streets temporarily last week after three of them went up in flames. Commuters seem happy with the arrangement but Arriva drivers want them back.
The Arriva bus drivers at the Valletta terminus are concerned about the fate of the bendy buses which they drive, day in, day out.
“We want them back,” they say. Most of them are in their 30s and 40s, fully kitted in their uniform, and make their arguments politely and with conviction.
“Bendy buses are not the problem: they are even more comfortable than the other trucks to drive and they are the best for commuters because they take lots of people at one go.”
The Transport Ministry temporarily suspended the buses from service on Tuesday after three of them burst into flames in separate accidents: two last Sunday, in Marsa and in Mellieħa, and another one on Tuesday in Xemxija. No one was injured. Six other less serious cases have been reported over this year.
An international and independent authority has been assigned to certify the safety of the 68 articulated buses. The experts are expected to draw up a report by Tuesday.
But the Transport Ministry confirmed yesterday that the buses will stay off the roads “until declared safe” and “the inquiry is concluded”.
Transport minister Joe Mizzi insisted last week that “serious measures” would be taken if “any evidence of negligence were found”. “I will be keeping a close eye on this issue,” he said.
Arriva drivers are confident the bendy buses will pass all the tests. “They are very safe and we are certainly not afraid of driving them – the fires were just accidental,” said one.
The problems, they claim, lie in pot-holes on the roads which constantly damage the bus engines. “They are so bad that even at a speed of 20km you feel the engine’s about to come off,” said one driver.
Over the past week, commuters expressed relief at the departure of the slinky buses, which have been replaced by Unscheduled Bus Service coaches, the extra cost being covered by Arriva.
On social media, several feted the move, declaring it the reason behind less traffic congestion.
The drivers look pained at these claims. “That’s just a coincidence: there’s always less traffic on the road the week after Santa Marija. It has nothing to do with bendy buses,” they say, calling over an older driver who used to work on the yellow buses, to confirm the traffic pattern over the years.
They feel that the public is “all out against them”. At that point, an unscheduled bus coach drives in at the terminus. “See those high steps? No one is complaining now, are they? And with us, even if we park a fraction of a millimetre away from the pavement, commuters cause mayhem,” says one driver. “And no one says anything about them wearing shorts and T-shirts, do they?” said another.
“People detest us – they complain about everything connected with us.” They bemoan the attitude of people towards them. “We get customer service training but who is training the public? They swear at us, they get angry at us and we do not retaliate,” they said.
“Tell people they need to have some respect for the public transport service – this is a service like any other national service. You, the media, you have to help us to educate people.”
Most traffic jams are caused, they claim, by illegally parked cars, not by the buses. The drivers feel that even the authorities “are against them”. “Take the Marsa Park and Ride, the road there was ‘one way’ and we had to go round the horse racing course to get out; the minute the UBS coaches started operating, they made it ‘two-way’ so it’s quicker – why didn’t they do that before?”
They acknowledge that commuters do have to wait a long time on occasion. “That’s because there aren’t as many buses as there used to be – that’s the problem,” they say.
The decision to reduce the fleet number – there’s some 200 fewer buses on the road – was one based on the complex route planning carried out by Transport Malta in 2011 with the Arriva take over. It proved to be a chaotic failure from the beginning.
The man behind the launch of the revamped transport service, Emanuel Delia, then the head of Transport Minister’s Secretariat, had said: “As far as delivery is concerned we have every reason to believe this was a freak start and after these unforeseen and in some cases unforeseeable obstacles are overcome we can look forward to the service we deserve.”
In the same interview in The Sunday Times of Malta, he had described Arriva as “the apex of the European transport business ... If they cannot get it right, who can?”
Contacted yesterday for his views on the bendy bus problems, he refused to comment: “I am not even in the country. I’ve been away and I don’t have an opinion on the matter.”
The Arriva drivers, however, defend the company, despite complaints of unpleasant conditions, including low salaries and tough shifts.
“The air conditioning does not always work and it’s terrible to work cooped up for some five hours or more in the vehicle. But these are the conditions – if you refuse, you’ll be suspended,” they shrug and shake their heads, saying that anyone who starts speaking up for their rights is often given a cushy job “so they are silenced”.
Commuters waiting at the bus stop at the Marsa Park and Ride yesterday morning, were divided. Some said that the UBS coaches were better, “Because they’re free,”; “the air conditioning is not freezing”; “the seats are more lush and soft”. Others preferred the bendy buses, because they were “on time more often,” and “had air conditioning, not like these coaches.”
Ray Bartolo, CEO of the Unscheduled Bus Service, said all the coaches UBS provided the transport service provider had air conditioning.
Asked about the two old buses seen on the road on Wednesday, he said: “They are no longer out on the street. They were only used for a few hours on the first day, because the routes being serviced were too narrow for our coaches, but after a few hours the old vehicles were replaced by nine-metre-long vehicles.”
He admitted that in the first few days some coach drivers wore Bermuda shorts, due to the short notice. “But as much as possible drivers are now switching to long trousers.” He clarified that the service is not free, and that commuters should purchase tickets from the machine or from the Arriva ticket inspector on board the bus.
Asked about commuters’ concerns that come start of school the coaches will cease their service causing further chaos, Mr Bartolo was quick to point out that due to an increase in its fleet UBS will still be able to offer the usual school transport service.
Like everyone else involved in the saga, he has no idea how long the temporary measure will last. “At any time they can stop our service,” he said.
One elderly commuter sitting at the bus stop yesterday was clearly exasperated: “I am tired of waiting for more than an hour to go home. They should just burn everything down and start all over again.”
Who is paying for the changes?
When the 10-year contract with Arriva was signed in November 2010, the bus company was to receive an average of €6.2 million per year in subsidies.
Eight months after Arriva started operations, the subsidy was increased to an average of €8 million per year. The increase, 29 per cent above what was originally agreed upon, was due to the route changes requested by Transport Malta following complaints about the service.
But the service still needed constant updating and budget estimates show that Arriva will this year be getting a subsidy of €10.6 million.
Yellow bus owners were collectively paid a subsidy of €9 million in their last full year of operations in 2010.
Neither the Transport Ministry nor Transport Malta would comment as to who will be subsidising any change in vehicles should the bendy buses be permanently banned.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry said: “Nothing is being ruled out at this stage and negotiations will continue. The current subsidy is as per agreement negotiated by previous administration.”
Timeline of events
July 2011 – Arriva service starts, but so do the problems. Commuters complain of delays and an erratic service. Claiming staff problems, Arriva is forced to recruit foreign drivers and subcontract private companies.
September 2011 – The Opposition files a motion in Parliament condemning the Government for the way the bus service has been reformed.
June 12, 2012 – Operator enters dispute with General Workers’ Union over salary and working conditions of its employees.
November 2012 – Transport Malta slams Arriva’s “unacceptable” public transport service and gives the company until the end of the month to bring it up to scratch.
July 2013 – Managing director Richard Hall resigns and leaves the company. He is the third managing director to step down in two years.
August 2013 – All bendy buses are taken off the roads by the Government after three burst into flames in as many days.