My daughter and family arrived in Malta the other morning on their yearly holiday to Gozo, which they thoroughly look forward to.

I did mention to my daughter about the problems with the new transport system, so she e-mailed Arriva before leaving and they told her that the bus from the airport to the Gozo ferry would take approximately an hour. So she told me not to worry as everything would be the same as before and that I do exaggerate as usual.

She texted me from the airport and told me they had been waiting for over two hours for the Ċirkewwa bus.

When they eventually managed to board the bus, it took them over two hours to reach the Gozo ferry; during their journey the driver stopped in Marsa for 20 minutes to have his lunch. Thankfully, they at last arrived in Gozo after more than four hours. Last year the same journey was accomplished in just over an hour.

Unfortunately, this will be their last visit to Malta and Gozo as they definitely do not want to encounter any more hassle. She even had to cancel visiting friends and family in Malta as she does not want to spend the day waiting for non-existent buses.

I do hope that the present transport situation will be rectified as soon as possible as otherwise the tourist trade will suffer dramatically.

I now expect one of The Times’ frequent correspondents to say that British tourists should all go home and stop complaining.

I’m afraid that if the present transport problem continues, his wish will be granted!