I totally agree with the letter by David Olliver (‘Poor bus service’, The Sunday Times of Malta, March 4) regarding the state of the bus service for tourists staying in Qawra. There is regularly a queue of people waiting at the Fugass bus stop and the buses either pass by full or don’t turn up at all. Two weeks ago a friend waited nearly two hours for a bus to Valletta. They either didn’t turn up or passed by full. In the end he gave up. So much for encouraging people to visit the City of Culture 2018.
In the past there was a bus direct from Buġibba to Marsaxlokk. Why can’t this be reinstated? It would be a lot easier than having to change at Valletta.
The services to Mdina also need an overhaul. The 186 is not frequent enough, and the X3 Airport bus is frequently filled with people travelling to Mdina, and those travelling to the airport cannot get on it. Many of the buses put on this route are too small and have insufficient space for luggage.
The bus company needs to realise that there are as many tourists in the winter months as in summer and plan accordingly. If you do manage to get on a bus, getting off is another ordeal due to overloading. Many of the buses are falling to bits and new ones are urgently needed.
I used to always travel by bus but now hire a car. I find the bus journeys exasperating and tiring. I wonder how many other tourists have given up on them and hired cars, to the detriment of the environment?
When we arrive in Malta we are charged 50c a day environment tax (up to a maximum of €5). Perhaps this could be used to improve services. Heaven knows it doesn’t seem to be used for anything else.