Bus commuters on several bus stops were again let down by Arriva yesterday, the first real test of public transport after it had pledged to start operating according to schedule by Sunday.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall when the company chose a date like September 11 as its deadline for the service to start running smoothly with changes to the route network and more buses on the road. In a number of locations checked out by The Times, people still reported waiting for as long as an hour for their bus to turn up; in others, buses were constantly driving past because they were full up.
On the Punika bus stop in Fgura just after 9 a.m., for instance, a crowd of more than 30 people reported they had been waiting for more than an hour to catch the bus.
“It’s 9.30 am. I’m supposed to clock in at work in Valletta just now, instead I’ve been stuck here for more than an hour,” said one exasperated commuter as yet another bus No 91 drove past. The buses were on time – every 10 minutes, as indicated in the timetable – but all the seating and standing places were already taken up by commuters from Marsascala and Żabbar.
People kept calling the Arriva customer service from their mobile phones to report the situation but it did not seem to be helping the situation: “What’s the point? They tell you they’re taking note and that’s it.
We’re still here in the sweltering heat.”
One commuter was advised to walk down to Paola – a suggestion which was not greeted warmly – and the “abroad is better” argument was bandied about: “These things do not happen abroad – we are the ones who just settle for everything.”
Every time a bus was spotted on the horizon, there was a rush, the crowd huddled and everyone aimed for the best spot to reach the doors first. Commuters would then appeal to each other to retain a queue of sorts. In the heat one man suffered a nosebleed, causing major consternation and lots of “Qed tara f’hiex ġejna!” (Look what we’ve come to).
After an hour, a half-empty bus picked up all the passengers. Since several still had to buy the ticket, it caused more delay, which some commuters found too much to bear. Some focused their ire on the driver who kept repeating solemnly: “It’s not my fault, I am not to blame.”
In Paola, on the other hand, the 10.30 a.m. bus to Mater Dei Hospital never materialised. “I’m going to be late for my appointment with the specialist,” an elderly woman complained.
During the 45-minute wait that was to come, commuters aired their concerns: “What are we going to do in winter? In the rain? There are bus stops which don’t even have a shelter.”
Another woman, who has a disabled child, said her daughter had been stuck at home since July 3. “We live in Marsascala, in the Jerma (Hotel) area: There’s no service next to our house and she can’t walk far. I haven’t even been able to take her to Razzett tal-Ħbiberija,” she said, becoming tearful in desperation.
Finally at 11 a.m., the X2 to Mater Dei picked commuters up.
The bus was one of the new ones but you would not tell: With every turn of the steering wheel there was a cacophony of squeaks and screeches and the engine rattled. The passengers were astounded that barely two months on the road, the bus already seemed to need some major servicing: “It’s better if you keep driving it straight to hospital,” they joked with the driver.
At Mater Dei, the situation was even worse. The bus stop to Valletta looked like a corner meeting with almost 60 commuters waiting in the sun. The bus system was the topic of conversation, some saying that if the routes were changed back to the way they were, there would not be any other problems. Others said they were relieved that the drivers were “very well-mannered”.
But, perhaps, they spoke too soon. Moments later, a bus drove up and for no apparent reason the driver would not let anyone onto the bus. Tempers flared and as some commuters protested, he started swearing, telling the assembled group: “Take a taxi if you’re in a hurry”. He drove off, leaving behind a flustered Arriva representative calling the head office to report his colleague.
About five minutes later, a No. 32 bus stopped by but the seats were already taken up. One elderly man with a stick did his best to hang on: “I can’t afford to wait for another bus,” he sighed.
The driver too was worried: he told a friend that he was running late by an hour: “Traffic. Everywhere there’s traffic, I can’t be on time,” he said.
Arriva managing director Keith Bastow had a very different take on the way the day turned out, saying the majority of passengers had a positive reaction: “I’m pleased to report a positive day with all buses out, all shifts covered including by the newly added drivers, and a significant increase in the number of journeys provided in addition to the new routes which started yesterday…”
He said a further two phases of route changes were planned for October 2 and 30, to be announced in due course. “We are fully committed to continued improvement and our teams are working hard behind the scenes around the clock to deliver.”
Still, complaints kept coming in: Lija commuters were bitter about the fact that their service, No. 43, was taking the bus up to Giovanni Curmi College in Naxxar and bypassing the village whereas before it used to drive up Transfiguration Avenue to the belvedere.
At Mqabba, the local council held a press conference to voice the residents’ frustration at the fact that the new bus route no longer linked the city centre to Valletta and bus 72, which previously ferried commuters from Mqabba to St Vincent de Paul Residence for the elderly, no longer stopped outside the home.
At Żejtun, the local council complained that there was no service to the lower part of the town.