The main article on January 7 referred to the public transport fiasco. I am surprised by the comments of Jesmond Mugliett and Ċensu Galea, who are supposedly in the know. They gave the impression of only now becoming aware of the fiasco. What were they doing during the last legislature? Were they gagged, as if under a dictatorship?

The shortfalls in the system were obvious even to the uninitiated. To name a few, bendy busses too heavy and long for the Maltese roads, buses too wide, routes too roundabout, popular direct routes eliminated, terminus too far away from City Gate, Valletta sidelined.

The old buses suffered from a number of faults such as uncomfortable seats, bone-shaking suspension, arrogant drivers, pollution galore etc. However, the routes were convenient and, overall, the service was adequate for the public needs.

Why was it decided to remove a good working system?

All that had been required was new buses, which, in any case, had already started to be introduced and strict discipline of the unruly and irresponsible drivers. It would have been cheaper to provide new buses at a subsidised rate. The general opinion has always been that the whole upheaval was just to rid City Gate of the buses. This became very obvious with the very few slots available, which, eventually, had to be increased and scattered over a wide area. This theory is further strengthened by the mad plan to relocate the Triton Fountain.

The result was unnecessary hardship, especially to senior citizens and those with small children. With the removal of the City Gate arches, passengers had nowhere to shelter when waiting, come rain or shine.

I would have expected the two gentlemen to avoid beating about the bush and name the culprit/s of the fiasco imposed out of some personal pride or spite.