On Monday 19 July, the Costa Pacifica berthed in Savona, Italy. At around 10am I saw this little white Dotto train coming down the hill and, as we had already had a flyer with the Today newsletter advertising a return trip for €9, I went down to the Tours office and asked whether it would take us near any shops/market and was told that it would. I paid €36 for the four of us and we got on the 10.50am one.

In less than 10 minutes we had arrived at the top of the hill and that was it. To be honest, I had thought that it would be like Genova where we had paid €6 each and got a 40-minute tour of the city. Anyway, we got off and asked where the shops were but the driver said that there were no shops there or at least not for the shopping we wanted to do.

We were wondering what on earth we were going to do as apart from some very narrow, cobbled streets with a few tiny shops most of which were closed there really was nothing, when a bus stopped and I asked the driver whether we could get to the shops by bus. He asked whether we had come on the cruise liner and we said yes and that we had just come on the Dotto train.

He then very kindly told us to wait a minute while he brought the bus (a cross between a mini-van and a bus with space for a wheelchair, which we could do with in Malta) closer to the pavement, brought a little ramp that folded into the step and pushed my wheelchair on board. I have a mobility problem and when I travel I always use a wheelchair since I can’t walk very far.

I asked him for four tickets but he just shook his head. The trip down to the city centre took about 10 minutes and we were heading for the harbour all the time. Finally he stopped the bus and told us that we had arrived. He got off the bus and showed us on which side the market was and which side the shops were and said that to get back to the ship we could either get a bus that would take us straight to the ship or else just walk all the way down the avenue; actually, as we turned to look down we could see the ship.

I again offered to pay the bus fares but he just would not accept any money. I really am very sorry that I didn’t think of looking at the number plate as he was not just kind and helpful but extremely courteous, which is something rarely seen in bus drivers in Malta.

I can actually say that the last time I boarded a bus in Malta was around four years ago. I don’t use a wheelchair here but a crutch to walk. I was at the Ferries and three buses came, none of which I could board because our drivers are so kind that they stop far away from the pavement which makes it even harder for people like me to climb those high steps. None of the drivers got off the bus to help me but kept saying to wait for the next one.

When the fourth bus came the same thing happened but at least this time a lady helped me get on and that was the last time I boarded a bus here.

I must say that, for the last three years, on each cruise we’ve been on, I’ve always met with a great deal of help from bus drivers wherever the ship berthed. In Civitavecchia there is even a courtesy bus put on by the government to get passengers from the harbour to the city centre and, when a particular bus didn’t have wheelchair facilities, the driver asked us to wait and proceeded to contact a bus that had these facilities to come for us.

Why is it that over here drivers seem to enjoy not helping passengers? Of course I can’t say all bus drivers are like that, but unfortunately, in the majority of cases they are. Persons with special needs just aren’t catered for over here and I think it is more than about time that something is done about it. We don’t want any special concessions but just made to feel like other normal human beings and it won’t take a lot to do it.

It doesn’t take a lot to give a good impression nor does it take a lot to have good manners, both of which are sadly lacking in our drivers, so it’s no wonder that many tourists are left wondering what’s wrong with our bus drivers.

Margaret Camilleri-Pace

SLIEMA