Public transport operator Arriva is set to launch an innovative SMS service through which commuters can receive real-time information on buses on their mobile phones.
In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Arriva interim managing director David Kaye sounded optimistic about the future of the company in Malta, saying that one of its goals is to have a Maltese person at the helm. Mr Kaye, who says he is a frequent bus user, said that the network changes that will come into force in a week’s time will fine-tune the service to meet customers’ expectations while thrashing out any lingering issues.
Mr Kaye – who was appointed as interim managing director last January, replacing Keith Bastow, who was unable to continue for health reasons – described his experience in Malta so far as “very enjoyable”.
He categorically denied that, at some stage, the company had had second thoughts about its future in Malta, especially in the first few months. He expressed his determination to fulfil contractual obligations and strive to address any shortcomings. “We do what we say and we say what we do. Arriva has never regretted coming to Malta, and our experience here can be considered as a test case for future ventures abroad.”
A regular bus user himself
Asked specifically if he ever used the buses to have first-hand experience of the service, Mr Kaye claimed that he uses the service quite often for the journey to Arriva’s offices in Qormi. “I usually make a connection with buses 34 and 61 and take the opportunity to speak to people and invite them to give their opinions about the service. I also encourage our staff to adopt this approach as it provides qualitative feedback. In general, I can say that most of the feedback nowadays is very positive.”
Punctuality is still an issue
The contract between Transport Malta (TM) and the company stipulates that the monitoring of the service is done by TM. However, the managing director explains that the company feels obliged to involve itself to tackle any issues on the spot as part of its commitment to give the best service possible.
According to Mr Kaye, the company is making a difference in Malta and this is cause for satisfaction. Asked to elaborate on this point, while distancing himself from the poor service in the first weeks in July last year he claimed that there had been a marked improvement in punctuality, reliability and staff complement following the numerous network updates, especially the one of 6 November.
“All this contributed to a much better customer service. Our reliability is fantastic as we are running 99.8 per cent of our vehicles to their destinations, and so commuters are virtually guaranteed to arrive at their destination” remarked Arriva’s managing director.
On the other hand, he admitted that punctuality is still an issue and expressed his determination that commuters will actually arrive at their destination according to the schedules. “The new schedules coming into force on 27 May and the new control room in Floriana, that gives us a snapshot of the traffic situation, will contribute immensely to improving this aspect. We had previously relied on a traditional system of having people positioned at strategic locations to report any major issues, but now as soon as a bus is stuck in traffic or any other major issue crops up, we will be notified in real-time and take action immediately”.
Efforts to address
issues frustrating commuters
Judging from his replies, Mr Kaye seems quite in touch with the everyday problems that are a frequent source of complaints and frustration. One such situation is when buses depart late from Valletta, causing a ripple effect on the rest of the schedule. According to Mr Kaye, this happens when there are no more drivers and buses on standby. The standard procedure is to have these buses in St James Ditch and deploy them accordingly, but sometimes the snags are so big that the company runs out of buses.
“I am actually meeting Transport Ministry and Transport Malta (TM) officials to discuss these matters, especially how to tackle major issues in certain hotspots which have an impact on a vast number of routes. At the same time, it has to be realised that no transport operator has an infinite number of spare buses, so we have to resolve this issue as best we can in the context of our resources. Our ultimate aim is to reduce disruption as much as possible to make us a reliable source of transport”.
Another frequent complaint is time wasted during the morning rush hour to check tickets, which sometimes serves only to complicate things even more, as the bus is already running late. “I can understand people’s frustration about that. We are employing more people to carry out ticket checks and so minimise the impact on customers. If you have three people doing the checks simultaneously, it won’t take a lot of time, but I agree that static checks are not ideal if a bus is running late. However, with the right training and adequate staffing, static ticket checks can be much more efficient and resemble the formula one pit stop checks. The last thing we want to do is to delay customers.”
Peak and off-peak schedules being introduced
Arriva is also introducing peak and off-peak timetables for the simple fact that travel times vary considerably during different times of the day. To date buses are either running late especially during the morning rush hours or else end up ahead of schedule late at night, with the driver being forced to keep the bus idle for several minutes to keep to the schedule. “If you take, for example, bus No. 61, which passes by our offices in Qormi, you notice that waiting times vary considerably between peak and off-peak hours. Of course, customers are frustrated when the bus is idle, especially when they have almost reached their destination.”
Addressing glitches in the IT system once and for all
One particular issue that has not yet been completely addressed by Arriva is the IT system. This has resulted in the company being fined by TM, even though Arriva immediately announced its intention to appeal.
In his reply Mr Kaye reiterated once again that this is being addressed. This is far from impressive, considering that the company has been repeating such a statement for months with no visible improvement. Meanwhile the vast majority of electronic displays around the island are still showing scheduled times rather than giving real-time information while posting a disclaimer that the system is still in its testing period. To prove his point, Mr Kaye said that from July, commuters will be able to text Arriva to check the waiting time for their bus, at a specific stop. This facility will be available when all the glitches in the IT system have been resolved.
“The system is very simple. Commuters text the number of the bus stop situated on the sign in the bus shelter and they will receive the exact time that the next bus is due.”
Getting the bus display right
Another glitch in the IT system is directly linked to the wrong signage on the front of the buses. A particular case in point is bus 41 at the Belleview interchange in Mellieħa, where buses go only in one direction, and thus commuters have to rely exclusively on the direction displayed on the bus to decide which one to board. Mr Kaye explained that route directions were supposed to change automatically according the GPS information fed in the system, but this had not worked out as expected.
“The two main causes for this were either the driver logging the wrong information on the system or the IT system itself. We are in close contact with Thetis, the Italian company that was commissioned to design the system, to thrash out any glitches, and I am optimistic that in a short time the matter will be resolved via a software update. I accept this is still a problem but things have improved considerably since January”.
Company confident of meeting this month’s deadline
Mr Kaye sounded very optimistic that the company will meet its contractual obligations which were waived last November till the end of this month as a concession by the government when the company had to increase its fleet to improve its service. These include air conditioned buses and Euro V engines. “As far as I am concerned, everything is on schedule.”
Service should now be up and running smoothly
The company expects to have the service up and running smoothly as from next Sunday with the latest network updates, which Mr Kaye described as a major step forward in reaching the company’s goals.
He said that the big bang launch had been a major shock, as the previous service had been running with no major changes for 50 years. “If it had gone right from day one, people’s perceptions would probably have been much better. I have to say I admire the authorities for their courage in making this bold step.”
As for the level of satisfaction, Mr Kaye said that the fact that Arriva is now receiving a lot of commendations from the public is an important benchmark.
Previous patronage levels questionable
Mr Kaye explained that when they started their operations the network had been designed by Transport Malta, which also provided them with all the relevant data, including previous patronage levels. This data is questionable, as under the previous system bus owners had every reason to under-declare patronage levels in order to receive more subsidies from the government each year. This might also explain the reason why Arriva had been overwhelmed in the first few weeks and why sharp increases in patronage levels had been recorded. While not discarding such a claim, Mr Kaye preferred not to comment, saying this is just a hypothesis.
Fuel price hike an opportunity rather than a threat
The recent hike in fuel prices prompted questions as to whether Arriva would be able to absorb such increases. According to Mr Kaye, this will only lead to more people reverting to buses instead of using their car. He added that Arriva buys its fuel through a hedging agreement, which makes it more competitive in the long term.
As for the number of buses breaking down, he admitted that in the beginning there had been a high incidence of such cases. According to him, the main reason was that buses were running out of fuel due to some form of engine failure. This problem has now been addressed and the number of buses needing repairs is now minimal.
Electric ramps back
in service shortly
By the end of the month the company should also be in a position to provide full accessibility to people with disability. He commended the National Commission for People with Disabilities which had taken an active part in recent discussions, so that some aspects of the training programme had been improved to cater for people with special needs. For now, the company is using manual ramps, since the electric ramps are out of service and no parts were available as the manufacturer had gone bankrupt. The parts required have now been sourced from another company and in a matter of days the electric ramps will be installed once again.
“In the meantime, we have acquired 10 manual ramps and placed them at the interchanges. This demonstrates that the company is willing to go the extra mile to find alternatives until an issue is resolved”
Company expecting
a rosy future
As for the future, Mr Kaye expressed his optimism that the company will keep improving. “I think the future is rosy. All our staff, bar a handful, is Maltese and I also believe that in future the managing director will be Maltese. But it’s going to take some time as this sector is rather new for Malta. It’s not just a normal business, but one which needs someone experienced at the helm”, he concluded.