I recently had an appointment in Floriana, so I decided to use public transport since parking there is such a problem. The outward journey was effortless and I arrived on time for my meeting.

However, the return trip was not that simple. I got to the Floriana bus stop at 11.40am and proceeded to wait for a 13, 14, 16 or a 21 to take me home.

I waited and waited. A Pembroke bus passed by, which was full, so I waited again. Many buses to other destinations passed by and people got on but there I stood waiting. Half an hour went by and so I thought that any time now my bus would arrive. Nothing like that – 45 minutes later, I was still there counting the buses going by – six to Marsascala, four number 31s and three number 84s.

Where was my bus? Well, I was on the verge of getting a taxi at 12.40pm when a number 14 stopped and I finally got on. That was no fun, especially for a 78-year-old like myself. There is no seating at that bus stop and I was starting to get quite tired. I thought that if I were a tourist waiting for a bus that never arrived, what would I think of this island of ours? Many old people catch buses and there should be seating arrangements at all bus stops.

When the driver finally arrived, I asked him why it took so long for a Sliema bus to turn up and he said that a bus had broken down somewhere along the way. What a paltry excuse. Surely that was not the right reason? When are we going to get it right?

If London – that busy metropolis – can run a decent bus service to hundreds of destinations, why can’t Malta get it right?

And why is the Sliema bus stop now relegated to the furthermost part of the terminal? Have the authorities forgotten that Sliema is a tourist destination and that tourists catch buses all the time?