A few eyebrows were raised and more than a few chuckles were stifled when it was announced during a Mepa hearing that passengers in Valletta will only have to wait for 10 minutes to catch a bus.

The truth is that the general public is so disillusioned with constant promises of massive upgrades in service (whatever the sector) that are then not honoured, or are not up to standard.

We can mention a fair few examples; roads and infrastructure, bureaucracy and Arms Ltd are all topics which are never far from discussion. But the grand daddy of them all has to be the public transport service. Most people cannot even recall a good efficient system of public transport in Malta. The current state of crude, tardy, erratic, time-consuming, bone-jarring and cringe-worthy service is all we have ever known.

People simply take the bad service in their stride. If a bus races past without stopping, even though it’s empty, people usually just shrug and wait for the next one. If people are shortchanged by one or two cents, they let it slide. If people end up sweating buckets, or freezing on a drafty bus, it’s part and parcel of the service.

This is why many cannot believe that the public transport sector (let’s just call them buses) can ever change. In principle, the idea should work. Tens of nodes around Malta with a hop-on and hop-off system… but will it?

Arriva has vowed to upgrade the status quo and the government is insisting on it. We truly hope that it will be a success and that all will go to plan. While we are quick to shout if something goes wrong, or does not deliver the desired results, we also tend to forget areas where we have had great success and compliance. The mandatory use of seat-belts was one case in point. No one thought that this concept could be driven home; it was and we now have one of the highest compliance rates in Europe.

People never thought the Park & Ride scheme would be successful. It was, right from day one. Even if we look at waste separation, we started from zero, but the numbers are picking up and people are recycling more waste.

In other words, we need to believe that the system can work; for it to actually work. And by this, we do not mean the designers, new owners and bus drivers only. The user needs to give the system a chance and in doing that, we will give it a good platform to build on. We are sure that there will be teething problems and we are also sure that the lofty aim of a maximum 10-minute wait in Valletta is overly optimistic.

But if we were to remove the rose-tinted glasses, it becomes glaringly obvious that any system is better than the one we have today. The buses are ancient and most journeys involve a two-leg trip that usually takes you far out of your way.

With the new system, we should be looking at a situation where anyone, anywhere, can get to their destination in a relatively hassle free and speedy manner. We are hoping for the best. The only way to encourage people to stop using cars is to have a good, cheap, comfortable, efficient and convenient public transport system.