When the new Arriva bus service was introduced way back in July, I had high hopes that Malta would finally have the much-needed public transport service of quality.

Alas, my hopes did not materialise and three months after the introduction of the new service, on October 1 at 10.30 p.m. I witnessed an appalling incident at Marsaxlokk as I shall describe. I watched a large bus negotiating the sharp bend between St Joseph Street and St Catherine Street. It was almost impossible for the driver to carry out the manoeuvre and in the process, which took between five and 10 minutes, the bus scraped against the side of a car that was parked in St Joseph Street and also hit the kerb in St Catherine Street several times.

I really felt sorry for the bus driver who had to negotiate such an impractical route and disappointed at the damage caused to a private car and the new Arriva bus. Further on in St Catherine Street the same impractical procedure was repeated when the bus turned to Duncan Street. No wonder that travelling times have become excessively long.

It is a shame that Transport Malta, with so many years of experience behind it, had devised the new impractical routes instead of adding on and perfecting the already existing proven routes. In the case of this incident they should immediately identify the owner of the damaged car mentioned and compensate him for the damage caused.