Updated 3.45pm - Added ministry replies
Ta’ Giorni residents remain angered by bus route changes which they say have left them cut off, after Transport Minister Joe Mizzi declared the matter “case closed”.
Public transport route 110, which previously passed through the St Julian’s neighbourhood of Ta’ Giorni and linked commuters to Sliema and Marsa, was axed last December.
Some 530 residents signed a petition calling for its reinstatement, angered that journeys that previously took 20 minutes had been lengthened to an hour and a half, as well as necessitating a change of buses, by the new routes.
Several months of correspondence with the authorities, seen by this newspaper, yielded no remedy, with Transport Malta insisting the route had been cut due to a lack of demand.
It is now impossible for many residents to go to Sliema
Ta’ Giorni resident Lino Spiteri told the Times of Malta that the impression of low demand had been created by “mismanagement”. Long waiting times and delays caused many commuters to give up and leave their stop, resulting in empty buses.
He said that among those who had signed the petition were elderly residents at the Ta’ Giorni housing estate, who could not manage the walk to a more convenient stop, and office employees working in Sliema, adding that the true demand was evidenced by the petition’s success.
“The three-hour return journey caused by the changes is disrupting people’s schedules and many elderly residents are simply not up to it,” Mr Spiteri said. “It is now impossible for many residents to go to Sliema for their various needs.”
Mr Spiteri said he was angered by the attitude of the authorities who dismissed residents’ requests. The final communication he received from Transport Minister Joe Mizzi, at the end of July, declared the matter “case closed”.
A Transport Ministry spokeswoman said Route 22 had been amended following requests from residents and the local council, "so that it would offer a direct link to Birkirkara health centre besides the connection that this route gives Ta’ Giorni residents to Mater Dei Hospital and Valletta."
The spokeswoman argued that residents could walk to the 'Mayor' bus stop on Birkirkara road and catch a Route 110 bus from there. Route numbers 202 and 203 also stopped at 'Mayor', the spokeswoman said.
According to Google Maps, 'Mayor' bus stop is a 700m walk from 'Giorni'.
In previous comments on the matter, the ministry said the changes had improved service for commuters in general and said Ta’ Giorni residents could not expect a tailor-made service when adequate alternatives existed.
Mr Spiteri, however, has not been satisfied by the explanations.
“We are paying as much for the public transport service as anyone else and have the same right to a good service,” he said.