As Gordon Hains wrote in his letter on bus drivers' behaviour (April 9), a tourist's stay in Malta is quite often marred or spoilt by unpleasant rides on the buses. (Malta's tourism board better note this - otherwise, all the money spent on their advertising goes down the drain!)

When a tourist takes his first ride on the Sliema-St Julians route to Valletta, he's in for quite a shock. His questions to the driver will be met with indifference or rudeness, perhaps, even with a dirty look! Having been embarrassed by the driver, the tourist sits quietly on a patched or dirty seat, quite often next to a broom, a pail and a rag. If there is no empty seat, he's jostled in the crowded bus until the bus driver hollers at the passengers in a gruff and exasperated tone of voice: "Move back... move back!"

Maybe our tourist is tired or has a headache. Too bad! He has to listen to the driver's loud music whether he likes it or not. To add to the tourist's unease, the driver has one hand on the wheel while with the other hand he reads the messages on his mobile phone. Now and then the driver looks up from his mobile to give a quick glance at the road ahead. The tourist should better hold tight in case of an accident!

Let's say the tourist decides to do some shopping in Sliema. He returns to his hotel from the bus stop in front of Marks and Spencer. On spring and summer evenings, the tourist waits for a bus for about 20 minutes, even though this route is supposed to be the busiest in Malta and the transport authorities should know better. The bus arrives packed like a can of sardines. He waits another 20 minutes. Another "can of sardines" arrives. The third bus is full, too. Finally, he manages to get on the fourth, crowded bus, full of "students" in a rowdy mood.

If it's a hot summer evening, the poor tourist is in for a steamy, stifling, rowdy, tiring bus ride back to his hotel. The disillusioned tourist asks himself: "Was my outing worth the hassle?"

The tourist does not have to be a work-efficiency expert to realise that on Malta's buses there's nobody really in charge - and that nobody cares!