The revamped bus fleet raised expectations among disabled public transport users but although physical access on the buses has improved substantially, street furniture remains one of the biggest headaches.

Disabled commuters waiting in the shade at the Valletta bus terminus said the lack of dropped kerbs and bus stop poles in the middle of pavements obstructed access.

While several are calling for an audit of the physical infrastructure of pavements others have questioned the lack of reduced fares for disabled commuters. A middle-aged wheelchair-bound man from Sliema said the service had to be financially accessible as well. He said an accompanying relative or friend had to manoeuvre the wheelchair on and off the bus, usually alongside oncoming traffic. This called for free or subsidised fares for a person accompanying disabled people, as was common abroad, he added.

Down Syndrome Association president Marthese Mugliette said a disability pension was “not suitable for today’s needs and does not help a person to become independent at all”.

“The transport fares and the present system are not helping them to gain their independence either,” Ms Mugliette added.

The association’s members, who made use of the previous bus service without any difficulty, have had to ditch the new buses because the present system is not “user-friendly” anymore.

The longer trips, both in terms of time and distance, have interfered with their usual bus route orientation.

“The system we were used to was much more user-friendly than the one we have. Valletta was the focal point of reference. Our association would have welcomed, as was the case with the euro changeover, information sessions with parents of and the people themselves who have Down’s.

“Moreover, we would have wished to have had the opportunity to air our concerns before the schedules and routes were being planned and made official,” she added.

The Sliema commuter said for the authorities access stopped with low-floor buses. “Although buses are all low-floor, I still have to wait for hours in the scorching sun because buses are usually full-up. Commuters manage to squeeze themselves between other passengers… but it’s impossible for me to do that in a wheelchair, let alone having to change buses multiple times to get to a place for which we previously had one direct route.

“Before July, I used to call the dispatchers at Valletta who provided me with the approximate time at which a low-floor bus would leave the terminus. I was never disappointed as much as I am today,” he said.

The chairman of the National Commission Persons with Disability, Joseph Camilleri described the general feedback received as “cautiously positive”.

“Cautious because some people are not completely satisfied with the new bus routes, some of which no longer cater for their needs.

“There has also been some complaining due to inconsistencies in the building of bus stops and dropped kerbs as, sometimes, inattention to access means these are not as accessible as they should be, or could be,” he added.

A number of disabled people also contacted Arriva and the commission requesting reduced fares for disabled commuters, similar to those enjoyed by elderly passengers and registered students.

The commission expressed itself in favour of such reductions to people in possession of the special identity card it issued “not because disabled people deserve charity but because the majority of disabled people incur extra costs on account of their disability”.

The commission has been in touch with Arriva and the Transport Ministry about bus fares.

Questions sent to the Transport Ministry and Arriva remained unanswered at the time of writing.