Every day, a bus leaves Valletta at 5.30pm and heads towards St Julian’s. It leaves full up and picks up more passengers along the way. Maltese people and tourists alike are pushed back like sardines.

The air conditioner is not working, windows and doors are closed and temperatures reach 38˚C. People start to feel ill and some, close to fainting, are forced to alight the bus. I know because I am usually on it.

The journey takes about an hour and a half. By the time they arrive home, especially those returning from a day’s work, feel exhausted and exasperated. Unfortunately, many have no alternative but to use these buses and I feel for them.

Are they being punished instead of praised for using buses? The rising use of public transport in Malta shows that more people are willing to use buses.

The increase in population, the chaotic traffic jams and harmful air pollution in all our roads are indicators that something quick has to be done for mass transportation. So, I wonder why, if I am correct, we only have about 500 buses in total. This, evidently, is not enough and, in my opinion, should be increased to at least 2,000.

Just 500 buses compared to 360,000 cars is a joke. It shows that public transport has never been taken seriously and it is a pity because, in a small country like Malta, where distances are pretty short, we could easily mix walking, cycling and lots of buses for mass transportation. Buses have to be quick, efficient and definitely air conditioned, or with sliding windows.