Summer is here but the bus service is still running on a winter schedule, unable to cater for passengers in tourist zones.

The new schedule was expected to start on June 23 but it has been delayed.

A Transport Ministry spokeswoman said the summer schedule would be introduced “in the coming days” but did not say what prompted the delay.

The bus service is run by Malta Transport Services, a government subsidiary, which bought out Arriva Malta at the start of the year.

Sources told this newspaper the delay was a result of prolonged discussions between the firm and the General Workers’ Union on working conditions.

The summer schedule caters for more trips on routes to seaside locations such as Għadira and the bustling Sliema-St Julian’s area, where the bulk of hotels are situated.

The government wants to re-privatise the bus service and is engaged in talks with Autobuses de Leon, a Spanish transport company, one of three bidders for the contract. The other bidders were Maltese consortia Gozo First and Island Buses Malta.

Asked about the bidding process, the ministry spokeswoman said “discussions are in progress” but did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, air conditioning problems on a number of recently-leased buses are persisting, amid growing complaints by users.

Malta Transport has complained to the bus owners, who have the matter in hand, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said in Parliament. (See video above).

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.