We have all experienced Arriva one way or another. Commuters go through an ordeal at both the bus stop and then on the bus ride which seems never-ending. And drivers in their own car trailing service buses which now dominate our roads.

These experiences may well have their funny side were it not for the consequences. I refer to the hundreds of commuters who on a daily basis arrive late at work because of the gross inefficiency of the service. It seems that getting to a bus stop one-and-a-half to two hours before one is due to clock in for work does not guarantee that one would arrive on time. For how long can employers tolerate this situation?

There will come a time when they won’t and will demand that their employees arrive on time or else.

Moreover, I believe the situation is getting worse.

Many who at first believed in giving the new bus service a fair chance started using Arriva to commute to and from work. However, not any more. Many who have their own means of transport have practically given up by now and have reverted to driving to work, with the consequence of further delays on our roads because of the resulting increase in traffic congestion.

While Arriva may plead that the routes were dictated by Transport Malta and that traffic congestion is no fault of theirs, the crass incompetence of failing to provide enough buses is.

Thus for example commuters hailing from Birżebbuġa know all too well that just two or three buses to Valletta in the space of two hours is no guarantee to making it to work on time although the advertised schedule indicates a bus every 20 minutes.

Calls to Arriva only elicit petty excuses and no solution seems to be in sight.

This situation has now become a national disgrace. It is certainly not acceptable almost three months since the commencement of the new bus service (sic).