We all remember those turmoil-filled days when Arriva was launched in Malta, how the system broke down because around half the bus drivers failed to turn up for work. That was very much the inheritance left by the previous system in which bus drivers were kings not just of the road but also of their work – they turned up if they felt like it, did not when they did not feel like it, swapped routes and many times left passengers waiting while no bus turned up. And by 7pm, 8pm they were all home with the missus and many times the bus lay parked just outside the door, on the street.

It was very difficult for such people to accept to become employees, to learn work practices set by the company, to obey company rules, etc. And, in fact, they simply refused to do so – hence the widespread defiance on Day 1.

This had two important consequences.

First, the company had to hurriedly recruit substitute bus drivers, train them and get them running the buses.

Secondly, (at least this is our impression) many bus drivers could not find new jobs, or there was nothing else they really knew doing, and so they slowly, silently, returned to driving buses. One gets the impression that the many women drivers of the first months somehow dwindled away, and that the bulk of today’s bus drivers are from the old system. Again this is just an impression, the middle management – the inspectors, the overseers at outlying termini, etc. – are from the previous system.

On the whole, the bus system has improved tremendously from its chaotic beginning. On the whole too, most bus drivers are courteous, and seem quite at ease both handling the bus, the system and the passengers. There are today small signs, such as joking with the driver, thanking him, and even more significant signs such as helping people with prams, with wheelchairs, elderly people who cannot negotiate the high step. Of course, this is all facilitated by the modern buses and the way they are structured.

However, there is now the need to improve the way the system is run. Otherwise, to be very blunt, the system will go downhill all the way. This is what happened to the old system – small faults and defects emerged and they were left there, until the entire system was hopelessly compromised.

If you listen to bus drivers’ talk, you realise they are being monitored all the time, through satellite systems which enable the company know what times are kept, and where each bus is at any point in time. And, to repeat, most bus drivers obey the rules, even if they are quite strict.

But the system has so far failed to bring in what can indeed become its best help – the public. There is a number one can dial if one experiences problems, but it is cumbersome. And one can report to Customer Care. But this system is a fragile one and many people give up on it.

Many who report to the offices at the termini, including Valletta, are told to call Customer Care. And when one talks to an inspector, he does indeed take note of the case and promises to find out, but the fact that he then does not ask for the complainant’s number makes one seriously doubt if any real action will be taken or if that slip of paper is torn up as soon as the passenger is out of sight.

Arriva had promised, when they were coming in, a far more robust system whereby one could text a number and be told when the next bus was coming. A text-based system, we argue, could be far more effective coupled with instant communication, also leading to direct feedback from the company to the passenger and hopefully more effective responses. This is not being vindictive at all: On the contrary, it makes the company much more accountable to the public. It was when this link got broken in the past system that the system became the shambles it was.

We hope this is taken up by the company as we all await the big change that should be coming in on 27 May. Already, there are some concerns about particular changes. The company should announce the details of the coming changes and ask for the public’s response, rather than repeat the same mistake made last July of first doing things and then changing them under public pressure.