Negative perceptions of the bus system were due largely to past issues and a bias against public transport, and not actual problems with the service as it is today, according to the Malta Public Transport general manager.
“Objectively, the system is better than it was a year ago; it’s better than it was two months ago,” Konrad Pule said yesterday during a press briefing. “In January, it’s fair to say the system wasn’t working well, but today, people are still clinging on to their perceptions from January.”
Mr Pule added that some of the negative views of the bus system came from people who did not actually use public transport themselves.
“Some people hope the bus service won’t ever improve because then they won’t have to make the shift and actually start using the bus,” he said.
International director Julio Tironi said that while the company took all complaints it received seriously, the amount of complaints received did not necessarily point to widespread issues with the system. He noted that the number of passengers using public transport in January and February was eight per cent higher than in the same period last year.
“Fifty complaints a day out of 100,000 passengers is not bad – especially when you consider that we used to receive about 500 a day in the past,” Mr Tironi said.
The local route network was overhauled in November and December last year, prompting widespread complaints from frustrated commuters, particularly over problems of overcrowding and route frequency.
Malta Public Transport implemented the first set of tweaks in February (mainly on its Mater Dei Hospital routes) and said yesterday that further changes would follow in April and June, including areas such as San Ġwann, which have also been the subject of regular complaints.
The company also announced yesterday that it would be releasing a smartphone app in the coming weeks to provide passengers with real-time updates on bus stops and arrivals. The live updates will go some way to addressing persistent complaints over inaccurate timetables at bus stops. The company admitted yesterday that their timetables could not always be changed immediately as route timings were refined in the course of operations.
The app will include a journey planner and also allow people to top up their Tallinja cards. More than 230,000 people signed up for the bus cards since they were introduced last July, with 85 per cent of passengers now making use of them.
Meanwhile, the operators announced that they would be adding 33 new buses to its fleet by June, which they pointed out went beyond their contract with the government.
The company would also be stepping up its driver training, adding a new simulator to the training programme and addressing what he referred to as certain worrying attitudes to safe driving.
“All our drivers are ‘up to standard’ but perhaps some are not yet up to the standards we wish to hold ourselves to,” Mr Pule said.