Bus routes will revert to the old system of each town and village having a direct link to Valletta and Mater Dei Hospital from next month as Transport Minister Austin Gatt admitted the new transport system had not worked.
The choices were over-ambitious
Describing these changes as “fundamental”, Dr Gatt shouldered responsibility for stuttering and highly criticised service and admitted the government had made a mistake.
“We were to blame. The choices were over-ambitious – we were too avant-garde, too innovative,” he told a press conference.
Starting from November 6, the transport system will consist of interchanges and routes based on Malta’s old system, known as hub-and-spoke, where a city – in this case Valletta – is at the centre.
The interchange system, where commuters would stop and change route, was introduced because, among other things, the previous system run by the Public Transport Association had failed.
This system, used worldwide, was cost-effective, less polluting and offered commuters more routes and more frequently, Dr Gatt said.
Not all the routes with interchanges had failed as the six routes to the airport, which previously did not exist, were “extremely successful”.
New connections – such as Naxxar to Sliema or Żebbuġ to Rabat – were created, and small villages like Baħrija and Manikata were linked on the interchange. Also, transport was available to all localities until 11 p.m.
With the roll-out of the new routes on November 6, the fifth phase of adjustments in the new service, the interchange system for the new routes would be kept but 112 routes would be adjusted, Dr Gatt said.
The majority of people requested three things when they provided feedback on the transport system: shorter routes and direct routes to Valletta and Mater Dei Hospital.
Also, the schedule of buses in Ċirkewwa and Mġarr Harbour will fall in line with the schedule of the Gozo ferry, reducing the waiting time for commuters.
The minister admitted there were around 10 problematic routes, which had “unacceptable waiting times” for commuters, especially during peak traffic rush hour between 6 and 9 a.m.
However, Arriva had cooperated with the government on the route changes, even though there were contrasting opinions.
Routes have also become shorter and more frequent to places not listed in the original itinerary.
More people were using buses, and it was still too early to say which lines were successful and which were not, he pointed out.
The situation was being monitored by 50 transport officials who were out in the streets daily and the government had already fined Arriva over a number of issues, including drivers smoking while on duty, lack of fire extinguishers on buses and faulty handles.
Training of bus drivers was “in full swing” and there were many applications with the company, he said, adding that the buses’ IT system should be up and running by the end of the month.
He encouraged people to give feedback and highlight problems.