My first experience of the Arriva bus service was in Gozo a few weeks ago. My wife and I took Bus 306 from Marsalforn to Xlendi Bay (with a brief stop in Victoria) at 8.17 p.m.
The bus driver was smartly dressed and polite. He greeted us with a smile and kindly informed us that the last trip from Xlendi to Marsalforn would be at 10.40 p.m.
The bus was clean, well lit, nicely air-conditioned (perhaps too nicely) but surely with no smell of any smoking. The seats are very comfortable.
We arrived in Xlendi Bay on time…just 20 minutes later.
After enjoying a pizza dinner, we again boarded the bus at around 10.45 p.m. After a short stop in Victoria – where some passengers alighted and other joined us – we arrived in Marsalforn shortly after 11.15 p.m.
The next day we decided to take a bus to Victoria (saving time on looking for a parking space).
We again took Bus 306, which arrived from Victoria at about 9.10 a.m., and it proceeded to Qbajjar as per schedule. It reached our stage at around 9.20 a.m. From then the driver had to “fight” against time, deal with foreigners who did not have enough money for the ticket, try to manage giving change to a person who presented a €20 note, and check every passenger’s ID card. One person even tried to persuade the driver she was Gozitan by speaking her “dialect” because she had left her ID card at home.
During these “transactions”, the driver even switched off the engine.
When the ordeal of checking ID cards and giving tickets to all passengers was over, the bus was full. It was around 9.55 a.m. that we alighted in Victoria.
Understandably the driver was slightly agitated when he was approached by a dispatcher in the newly rebuilt and embellished bus terminus in Victoria. “This is the time I should have arrived with my return trip from Xlendi Bay,” he replied.
The dispatcher calmly gathered the passengers who were on their way to Xlendi, asked them to board another bus which was on stand-by and, before 10 a.m., they were on their way to the bay.
I wish to thank Arriva for this service. I sincerely hope that all those who use it will be satisfied eventually once the necessary improvements are made. However, unless commuters are ready to do their part, there will be more waste of time.
Before boarding the bus passengers should have the exact fare ready and ID cards handy. This should go a long way towards ensuring a much better service once the routes are revised by Transport Malta and Arriva.
I am looking forward to a good, reliable, clean and comfortable service all over our islands and I intend to use it often.