Arriva has received so much adverse publicity since it came here but it is unfair to blame it entirely for the problems.

True Arriva might not have done its “homework” with regard to routing and timetables but the buses are regular, clean and the air conditioning works!

In fact the air conditioning works too well; we know of elderly persons who purchase a ticket in the morning and ride round and round, purely to get out of the sunshine. This practice means that buses fill up quickly and now the children are back at school it makes seating more difficult for others.

Have Arriva considered double-decker buses, maybe for the tourist routes such as Ċirkewwa to Valletta and within the tourist areas? The beach road has no low bridges so should be able to accommodate the buses.

The bendy buses are of no use (they have been controlled in London). Going back to the elderly, it may be a good idea (although I am sure not popular among the elderly population) to restrict the usage of concessionary tickets until after the peak hours i.e. after 9 a.m. and before 6 p.m. Incidentally, I have a Kartanzjan and would not object to this.