I am of the opinion that such a radical reform of the public transport system should have been planned with the greater involvement of the public, as represented by local councils and other civic committees. This is not the responsibility of the operator, Arriva Ltd, which is a commercial concern, but of the Regulator – The Transport Ministry and its agency Transport Malta.

This is a very radical reform and involves many aspects, but how it is going to impact on the public is not something to be decided without public consultation. In the same manner in which Mepa consults the public on the demolition of buildings, etc., so Transport Malta has to consult the public and public organisations regarding the changing of bus routes.

The quality of the service that Arriva is offering is a big improvement on the service that was offered by the previous operator: the buses are air-conditioned, comfortable and the drivers are polite and courteous. However, over-riding all these considerations from the commuter’s point of view is the time-factor: how long does it take to arrive at the destination point from the departure point?

Here I am not referring to the present delays due to the shortage of drivers – which in my opinion has not been thoroughly explained by the authorities, since the drivers should not have been handed their timetables on the eve of the introduction of the service. However, that is another matter!

To safeguard the interests of commuters, Transport Malta must ensure that the travelling time in normal circumstances is not unduly longer than under the old service and in this regard, I appeal to the Consumers Association and the government’s Consumers Division to take up the matter.

Mario Mifsud