We are a nation of people who grumble, but there are times when we cannot be blamed for doing so.

Each summer, the same issues crop up. Each summer, those responsible say that matters will improve. But, each summer, the problems remain there and get worse.

The social media is ablaze with three issues that are dominating – apart from the political scandals which never go away and, frankly, we seem to be getting them quite frequently these days.

These are the inefficient service provided in public transport, the frequent power cuts and the nuisance of fireworks, not only in terms of noise but also the way they disrupt routine.

Let’s take them one by one.

Public transport – buses

The old system – the one with the yellow buses – had to go and Arriva was brought in. Matters did not improve much and, aided by a Labour Party campaign about the inefficiencies of the service, the company called it a day. A Spanish company has now taken over but, lo and behold, six months down the line, no improvement has been registered. The only difference is that Labour is now in government, the Nationalist Party has other things on its mind, and so we hear little about this.

But the same old problems are still there: buses that turn up late or, worse, never turn up; malfunctioning vehicles and air-conditioning systems; long queues on bus stops; overcrowded vehicles and so on and so forth.

This week this news portal carried a story about issues that people of Mellieha, Sliema and San Gwann are facing. Since then we have been inundated with messages and calls from other areas around Malta.

We heard the story of a bus driver who left from Valletta to supposedly finish the journey in Bugibba, only to stop the vehicle in Msida because the air-conditioning system was not working.

We reported the story about another malfunction on an air-conditioning unit in Victoria, which caused many to remember the fires that occurred on buses two summers ago.

We received messages from a lady who lives in the south of Malta who said that she wanted to take some guests around Malta for a day and ended up spending more time on bus stops than at places of interest. She said that it took one hour and 15 minutes to catch a bus from Paola to Birzebbuga and, since the two-hour period had elapsed, the passengers had to pay again.

We had calls from passengers who have still not received their tallinja card, and are therefore still paying for the service at a higher rate than they should.

We had a call from a passenger who waited for more than an hour to catch a bus from Qrendi to Valletta, and another from a passenger who ended up walking from Ibrag to Spinola bay to be able to catch a bus to Valletta – and this after three buses had passed without stopping because they were full-up.

This “full-up” phenomenon is quite a common occurrence, especially at a time when the users multiply because of the thousands of tourists who visit Malta. There were complaints about bendy-buses because they were too large for Maltese roads. And so smaller buses are being brought over. But logic tells you that if the buses are to be smaller then they should leave the terminus more frequently. But this is not happening, and so it has become a common sight to see tens of passengers waiting for a bus. Needless to say, many of the bus stops are not sheltered, so one can imagine the frustration of having to wait for long minutes (hours?) in the scorching heat.

Power cuts

Talking about the heat: well, power cuts are associated with the increase in temperatures during the summer months.

The Malta Independent has received reports of power cuts from several parts of the island over the past days. They may not be widespread, and they may not take long hours to resolved, but they are simply a huge nuisance.

Nobody likes to spend summer nights without a fan or air-conditioner, nobody likes to work in an office without the comfort of some cool air, and nobody likes to spend a day in the kitchen or an evening on the sofa in hot, stifling conditions. And so, even an hour without power causes distress.

Enemalta assures us that it is not a case of overloading. In spite of reaching a record demand a few days ago, the power system we have is capable of taking in more. We’re told that it is a matter of faults in cables, which the corporation says are repaired as fast as possible.

Who knows, maybe with the new power station at Delimara – any idea when this will be completed, given that the two-year deadline has been surpassed by four months now? - all this will go away. But, until then, we have to grin and bear it.

Fireworks

The colourful ones are acceptable and provide some entertaining, but the noisy ones are not. Summer brings with it feasts in every town and village, and as from 8am almost every morning one can hear loud bangs coming from different directions.

But this is not all. In the past years we have also started the practice of closing down major road arteries while fireworks displays are taking place. Last week it was Msida, this week it is Santa Venera, which will lead to the closure of the north-south link, the most frequented road on the island.

This exacerbates the traffic congestion that there is on our roads. Let us remember that there is more or less one private vehicle for every adult member of the population, and many of course still prefer to use their own vehicles rather than attempt to make use of a bus, for reasons mentioned earlier.

Summer might be fun for some, but it is frustration for many, too.