The organisational set-up involved in the inauguration of Valletta as the European Capital of Culture did not stretch to public transport on Saturday night, with the Floriana pick-up point more akin to a capital of chaos.

Visitors to Valletta on Saturday were urged to use their buses. The pick-up point for the return trips was St Anne Street in Floriana, with access to the St James Ditch terminus being impossible because of the performances.

Although it was inevitable that there would be insufficient buses for such a huge crowd, people on the scene spoke of chaos, with complete lack of organisation for the waiting passengers.

"People were fighting each other to get on board, there was a crush, children were at risk of getting hurt. It was pathetic," one irate passenger told Times of Malta.

The police were hard pressed to control the situation, as passengers reporting waiting time of some two hours. However, many also commented about the way many Maltese do not appear to know the concept of a queue, with patrons seen shoving others to get on board the vehicles.

Another would-be passenger, Karen Vella Freeman, wrote on Facebook: 'Stampedes and people trampled over to get on a bus. It was a disgrace. Complete disorganization from tallinja once again. You can't be encouraging people to go on a bus when this is what's gonna happen. With a 6-year-old and a 74-year-old I decided to pull to the side lines and order a cab.'

And the problem was not restricted to Floriana. A reader also reported two-hour waiting time at the airport, possibly because the buses were diverted to Floriana.

People who used the ferry services said that despite the queues the service was good, lessons having possibly been learnt after the Birgufest problems. 

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