Jason is a soft-spoken, young man who operates the free minivan shuttle service from the MCP car park in Floriana to Castille Place and even beyond on request.

This service has become as popular as Arriva is not, and not because it is a free service, but most of the merit has to go to this gentle driver who unflappably tos and fros in his white minivan, driving up and down Ġiloramu Cassar Avenue with never a moan or a groan.

So intent is he on offering a good service that he even makes his mobile phone number available to the car park users who want to make use of the service.

Obviously, Jason is a one-of-a-kind driver and we ought to learn a lesson or two from him and the efficient way he goes about his business.

Maybe, rather than paying local and foreign consultants and setting up task forces to tell us how to operate a public transport system, we should ask Jason for a tip or two.

There is no doubt that the public transport reform has failed to reach public’s expectations and government’s promises.

Yet, in all fairness to the transport minister, a reform it was and Austin Gatt has to be commended for being the matador who took the ‘bulls’ by their horns. The reform will never satisfy the expectations of the public if we remain focused solely on the bus service rather than looking into a comprehensive transport system.

Through cosmetic changes in the routes and by increasing the number of buses on our already congested roads can never be the solution to this fiasco, notwithstanding the Prime Minister’s superhero-like intervention in the matter.

The introduction of even more buses, priority lanes and the intervention of the police force and the Armed Forces, is definitely not a sustainable solution.

The government must seriously look into ways of investing and budgeting for transport infrastructure away from our extremely congested roads through the construction of underground tunnels, overhead funiculars, monorails and sea vessels all networked to make travelling in, over and around the island as pleasant as possible.

Let us get our priorities right before we even contemplate on building bridges between Malta and Gozo or Sicily for that matter. There is so much that has to be done.

In the meantime, well-done Jason!

motoring@timesofmalta.com