Officials from Arriva and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) held the first in a series of talks that will see the two organisations plan bus services in anticipation of the summer tourism season.

The first meeting between Arriva delegation and MHRA president Tony Zahra and CEO Andrew Agius Muscat was held last week.

Arriva and MHRA discussed in detail the issues that were of concern to MHRA last summer when the service had just been launched, and planned on how best to tackle these issues prior to the start of the summer season, focusing among others on feedback that MHRA collects from its members and which it can then relay to the bus operator.

The collaboration between Arriva and MHRA will also focus on facilitating reduced bus boarding times for tourists (as well as for locals) through the use of off-bus ticketing options such as Arriva’s Carnet Tickets.

These carnet tickets are validated the first time they are used, rather than when they are purchased, thus allowing users the comfort of purchasing tickets well in advance and avoiding queues, as well as boarding buses faster and without hassle. With an aim to provide a better and more convenient service to tourists visiting Malta, Arriva’s carnet tickets will be sold at the front desk/reception of MHRA hotels in addition to the many established outlets around Malta and Gozo, Lotto booths, and Arriva’s ticket booths in Valletta, Buġibba and Malta International Airport.

Other aspects of the discussions between Arriva and MHRA focused on the work currently being undertaken by Arriva to provide enhanced travel information to tourists, which will include pocket leaflets/timetables and a tourist section on the company’s website.