I have been told that one of my problems is that I seem to like everybody. Perhaps I do, but it just does not come automatically. I know that there is always something about someone that is nice and acceptable. It is just a question of finding out just what it is and concentrating on this redeeming feature.

Do that and you will, reluctantly or not, like just about anybody. Try it sometime.

Also, the fact that I have very bad memory helps me to go through life with a world full of good friends and associates. But, wait, I am deviating from the subject of this article: bus drivers. Or am I?

Over the years, bus drivers have been the subject of people’s criticism and, in some cases, rightly so but let us consider the situation carefully and rationally.

Over many years, this band of merry men (and, now, women) have driven us all over Malta and Gozo.

For most of this time, they have had to handle old and very-difficult-to-drive buses and, yet, they did so every day.

They did so in sweltering heat. They did so over bumpy, congested and difficult roads. They got us from place to place, no matter what.

They drive in Maltese traffic for hours on end and they are dealing with hundreds of people every day.

Bus drivers are doing us a service under quite difficult conditions

Come on, let’s be honest, theirs is not an easy job.

Some of them were ill-mannered with customers. Some did not do their job properly but in any job environment one would come across individuals who do not do their jobs as well as others.

However, if a bus driver was rude, even if he was sticky and hot and fed up of being bumped around and even if the passenger is somewhat arrogant, he got all the bad publicity.

This is no way intended to condone bad behaviour but it just is a comment to show that, in certain circumstances, certain workers can act differently than others.

Let’s face it. Would we do their job? If the answer to that question is no, then let us consider our criticism a little more.

Some years ago, at long last, it was decided to revamp the whole national bus service. We threw away all the old buses and brought in new ones.

We brought in clean and air-conditioned buses. We brought in buses that were more suited for the local market and more comfortable for Maltese commuters.

The whole bus service changed.

Hundreds of new drivers were recruited to carry us. These drivers had to carry us over the same bumpy roads.

But the road congestion remained.

The drivers had to navigate through the same difficult and narrow routes and, now, they had to do it with buses that were bigger, wider and heavier.

But, to their credit, they did it. It must not have been easy but they adapted and they continue to take us everywhere.

Is it their fault if their bus breaks down? Are they to blame if the air-conditioning stops working?

Should they be held responsible if passengers do not have the correct change or fail to buy their tickets in advance?

Is it because of them that queues at bus stops are long and slow-moving? It can never be condoned, but can you really point fingers at the drivers if, every now and again, one or two lose their cool and behave badly?

I will definitely look upon bus drivers as people who are carrying out a public service under quite difficult conditions. I, for one, thank goodness that they are doing a job I would not like to do myself and, in the vast majority of cases, doing it reasonably well.

Imagine starting the day at 6am and driving your car to Ċirkewwa from Valletta, then drive it back again.

You will get a short break, then change route until the end of the working day.

Imagine doing it six days a week, all year round. Not much fun is it?

These people do it every day as a service to us and driving a much, much larger vehicle than our motor car.

Not having an army of spies, I decided to travel to Ċirkewwa myself by bus. I caught the bus serving route 222 at 2pm from Sliema. The vehicle was clean. It was air conditioned and the driver was smart and polite.

I produced my kartanzjan and was charged a fare of 30c. The driver asked me whether I was returning the same day and I enquired why was he asking.

He told me the fare would be 50c return. Unbelievable!

One hour later I was catching the ferry to Gozo. This trip was free both ways.

So why do we not all look at the positive side of bus drivers?

How about saying ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ as we alight or get off the bus? How about saying thank you for the service? How about just being nice to them?

Quite honestly, I think they deserve it.

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