Five months after the introduction of a new transport system, the much-awaited bus transport reform has not materialised, the Labour Party said.

It said that a lot of routes which had been useful to citizens in many villages had been lost.

One would have expected the reform to not just introduce a uniform and more courtesy, but to also do away with the long waiting time on the many stages around Malta and Gozo.

The reform failed in the most basic elements that characterised it and was still a long way away from informing one precisely of the exact departure and waiting time, the PL said.

It said the reform's failure became clearer with the creation of a task force, which, besides wasting more national resources, was causing traffic jams so that Arriva buses would be given preference.

Enough time had now passed for the problem to be addressed seriously and for the necessary modifications to be made for the service to provide the people with an alternative to private car use.

This solution should not be characterised with the introduction of second hand buses refused by other countries, such as bendy buses, which were not considered suitable for much bigger places such as London.

This, the PL said, could be confirmed by the London mayor's statement who said: "We bid a final but not fond farewell to the bendy bus. These bulky and ungainly monstrosities were always more suitable for the wide open vistas of a Scandinavian airport than for London's narrow streets and I am glad to see the back of them."