I live in Marsascala and work part-time in Valletta. At the moment, I have a choice of three buses and need to walk about 100 metres to catch a bus. As of July 3 I have a choice of one bus and have to walk about half a mile to catch it. Normally I get on at the Cerviola Hotel and I can usually guarantee that by the time the bus leaves the station it is full and people are standing in the aisle with the usual rugby scrum to get on the bus.

The Żabbar, Paola, Valletta route is the most popular route of the bus service from Marsascala. It serves students of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and the buses that stop outside the Cerviola Hotel allow tourists to go where they want to go – Valletta! Apparently if you live on the south side of the harbour in Marsascala you do not need to catch a bus...unless you want to go to the airport or the Freeport. You do not need to get a bus back up the hill with shopping. If you are elderly, disabled, with a pram and young children...forget it. Arriva certainly have!

The bus route map shows the 91 coming round its old route but it does not stop – there are no 91 bus stops anywhere along Triq il-Qaliet! Also, the bus to Mater Dei Hospital has stopped. Not everyone in Marsascala has a car and can drive there. What were they thinking? Has anyone else noticed that the bus stop on the map they gave us says Marsascala but the bus routes are for Valletta to Golden Bay, Valletta to St Julians, the airport to the Park and Ride in Marsa?

Arriva needs to think again and actually consult the people who use the routes. It refuses to amend the route for another six months. Is the plan to reduce the number of buses and routes by making it impossible for people to use them? The government wants everyone to use the bus instead of the car. Arriva seems to want the opposite!