How right is Ken Bryant from Naxxar when in his letter (September 19), he asks: “Where are the bus inspectors?” I will go further than that and ask: “Are there any bus inspectors employed with Malta Public Transport?” I am putting this question as I travel to Valletta by bus pretty often and don’t recall ever seeing one boarding a bus.

A common sight on any bus are seats allotted for the elderly, women with child or those with disability being occupied by young people and others not so young, busy from start to finish on their mobile phones totally oblivious to elderly people trying to keep their balance.

Recently while travelling on a bus to Valletta, the driver who happened to be Italian, got up from his seat and asked standing passengers to move back. On seeing a handful of young people occupying seats reserved for the elderly, he politely but firmly asked them to give up their seat. Which they did immediately.

When I mentioned this kind gesture in one of my letters to the press, a spokeswoman from Malta Public Transport called me and during the course of conversation, told me that the driver should have never got up from his seat. His job was to drive the passengers safely to their destination. Understood!

However, my first reaction to the spokeswoman’s statement was that I for one, appreciated his gesture. On that particular trip, those of my age, myself included, could have a seat thanks to him. May I ask: is this the kind of education Malta Public Transport is giving to the drivers? Certain statements are unbelieveable but true.

While on the subject, may I suggest that the stickers fixed on buses indicating who should sit on these particular seats, should be somewhat bigger and fixed in the centre of the panes for greater vision. The way the stickers are presently fixed offer a great opportunity to those who tend to ignore them.

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