It’s that time of the year when traffic congestion shoots up on the national agenda. Congestion also has an impact on public transport efficiency. Julio Tironi, group transport division director at Autobuses de León, tells Kurt Sansone the solution is to discourage private car use.

How has traffic congestion impacted the bus service in terms of delays and fuel costs?

Until September, even with a significant increase in passengers, things were doing very well, but we are experiencing some challenges in October, and we all know that this will happen again – not just for public transport.

By the end of September, we had reached a very high level of service reliability, over 99 per cent. This means that less than one per cent of the trips were not completed for some reason or another. At the same time, over 95 per cent of the service was departing on time. This is an achievement.

For the first time in a very long time, during summer the country wasn’t talking about how bad the public transport is. We had historic records in passenger numbers, as a result of delivering a good, punctual and reliable service, with special products for tourists. We have a new fleet, with 33 new buses that are over and above our contractual agreement, a real time information system and improvement in the drivers’ behaviour.

We managed to run the service with more than 100 diversions per day due to the local feasts during the summer. While perhaps all the country expected a high-quality public transport service, few believed that it was actually possible. But we did it.

Julio Tironi, group transport division director at Autobuses de León.Julio Tironi, group transport division director at Autobuses de León.

Does all of this mean that we have achieved the level of public transport service that we want? No. It means that, within the environment in which we operate, Malta Public Transport has done its job to improve the service. To go further we need the help of the various stakeholders in the country.

What happened in October?

Traffic increased, and as a consequence our buses are being delayed, just like cars are delayed. This affected our punctuality and reliability levels, which went down by 30 per cent during morning peaks. We got stuck in traffic, just like everyone else did with their personal car.

In a country with three cars for every four adults, 11 vehicles for every 10 driving licences, old and narrow roads, and where all vehicles are allowed to do as they please, is someone really expecting this to be different? Personally I think the reality should be worse than it really is, considering all these elements.

However, we are seeing a record number of trips done by Tallinja cardholders in October, a national phenomenon when it comes to mobility.

Which are the bus routes most affected by traffic congestion?

Our bus routes cover an extensive number of roads in Malta, including all the main roads and many village roads. In an indirect or direct way they are all affected during peak times, as almost all the routes pass through many of the most congested areas.

Has MPT made any suggestions on easing traffic congestion in key areas to alleviate the pressure on the bus service?

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The problem on a global level is that there are too many wheels on the streets. All the cities in the world that have solved or contained the problem, and even those that are still experiencing it, know the answer: limit the use of individual means of transport and at the same time promote collective means of transport.

Then again, I don’t think this a matter of measures but a collective decision.

All those cars simply don’t fit on the streets we have; it is a matter of space. Are we prepared to limit the use of the cars in Malta? Any other discussion we have will only delay finding the proper solution.

Despite some people not wanting to acknowledge that public transport has improved, it has improved, even if not at the levels we as a transport operator would like.

To continue improving our public transport we need a national decision to limit the use of cars. Now we are a part of the solution and not part of the problem like before.

Many propose pharaonic solutions instead of implementing realistic and necessary ones. We are having the wrong debate

It is obvious that people still prefer using their car to commute to work every day. Why hasn’t the bus service attracted more users?

Our numbers tell a different story. In the first week of October, just to give an example, tallinja cardholders increased by 10 per cent over last year, while other passengers increased by 14 per cent over last year. So far this year we have carried 15 per cent more passengers than last year.

Based on surveys, over 50 per cent of bus users have access to a car, and still use public transport. However, if buses get stuck in traffic just like the private cars do, people will still prefer individual transport.

We can always improve the public transport service, but at this point in time we need some measures at a national level.

The UN has stated that by 2050, around 70 per cent of the world population will live within urban areas. There is a huge movement at a global level to make our cities smart ones. This all revolves around a simple concept: sustainability. There is no place for individual transport in this concept.

Why does it remain more attractive for university students to use their cars? Is the bus service to university inadequate to meet student demands?

The university is one of the best connected places in Malta by bus, and we offer very good discounts for students, so I don’t think there is a university student problem but a general one.

The government suspended the bus lane along the Sliema-Gżira front. How has this impacted the service in the area?

It’s too early to know. Kappara is a big project and we understand that certain measures have to be taken to alleviate the overall traffic flow. It would be interesting to suspend some car lanes to alleviate the overall bus flow though.

Are more bus lanes required to speed up the service?

Yes. It is inevitable.

People on the Sliema routes complain that there are not enough buses to cater for the demand despite the increase in vehicles. Will more buses be put on this high-volume route?

I disagree. We have monitored the service very closely this summer. We have increased a number of routes in this area and for the first time in a number of years there wasn’t a problem in Sliema with demand and supply.

However, if we are facing a traffic jam no matter how many buses we put on the streets, all of them will be stuck in traffic. Our fleet in Malta is enough to meet the current demand, and we are ready to invest in more buses if needed.

How does MPT view the current debate on plans to study the introduction of other forms of mass transport like trams and an underground system?

As a group we are an intermodal operator. We operate other forms of transport like trains, trams, car and bike sharing, and so on; and we are ready to do so in Malta.

Apart from the financial aspect, any such service will involve intensive studies, which will take time to conclude and from our experience they are very expensive to build and operate.

The bottom line is that we have a problem today, not in seven years’ time. Therefore, while it is important to look at the future, we need to do something now.

I personally think there are quite a few measures that we could implement before we go to an expensive massive transport solution, especially because implementing these measures will happen anyway.

From my little experience in Malta, it seems that every October we start a debate on who to blame for spending more time in traffic. Many propose pharaonic solutions instead of implementing realistic and necessary ones. We are having the wrong debate.

Are we ready to reach an agreement at National level for a 20-year plan limiting the usage of private vehicles and promoting collective transport?

I don’t know of any other approach that has taken place in the world to solve this problem.

How to limit car use

The private car is often used by politicians as a measure of the country’s well-being. This explains why they are reluctant to make decisions that hit hard at their everyday use.

According to Julio Tironi, curbing car use is the only way to start solving the traffic problem. He lists some of the measures that have been adopted in cities worldwide to encourage people to leave their car at home and use public transport.

• Urban tolls;

• Increasing the taxes for cars to compensate for the costs they cause;

• Preference for public transport like bus lanes and traffic lights;

• Classifying specific streets to be used only by public transport;

• Limiting the hours for delivery services;

• Shifting some services to night services;

• Implementing other means of collective transport;

• Converting streets into pedestrian areas;

• Requiring car owners to have a parking space.

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