Much has been written in recent months about the public transport turmoil on the island of Malta. Would it be better or worse than twenty-six years ago? All those years ago the 'iconic' grey and red buses provided a haphazard, erratic service, timetables indicating the existence of a service rather than a schedule. To put the operating environment in context, Malta is an island smaller than the Isle of Wight with a population of approximately 413,000 of which 30,000 live on Gozo and it derives 35% of its GDP from tourism.
Valletta Bus Station on first visit.
Stepping
out of Luqa airport the initial signs were not good. The airport is served by
seven routes, six are a series of X routes connecting the airport to major
destinations throughout the island and the seventh, 201 is a minibus route to
Once away from the airport the situation is much improved. The majority of vehicles are in Arriva livery and staff are in smart Malta Public Transport uniforms. Public information is clear and concise in a format familiar to UK travellers, being produced by FWT. A full colour A4 route map of both islands is freely available, but timetable booklets are not produced, although information is readily available on the internet before arrival and by SMS once on the island, neither of which is necessary as all bus stops on the islands have timetables, route numbers and final destination on the flag. Valletta bus station has an information kiosk with route maps and stand departures information adorning the exterior walls, Sliema ferries interchange has a simalar Kiosk and Gozo has a new four bay bus station. On street ticket machine are located at various locations, although they never seem to be used, this could be because of the difficulty in reading the screens in bright sunlight, most passengers elect to pay the driver.
An Arriva King Long in Valletta bus station.
Routes from Valletta and Victoria(Rabat) Gozo are planned on a hub and spoke system with groupings of route numbers following major arterial roads, e.g. 51,52, 53 Valletta - Rabat(Mdina), and then splitting off to suburbs or rural villages, often in one way loops, reminiscent of First Bus in this country, 51 to Imtarfa, 52 Dingli, 53 Rabat suburbs. Each service is on a thirty-minute headway providing a ten-minute interval along the main corridor. Services operate from early morning until late night Monday to Saturday with a slight reduction on some routes on Sundays. Night routes operate between Valletta and Sliema, and Marsaxlokk receives a Sunday only X85 service to cover heavy tourist loadings leaving the 85 with capacity for the locals. Timetables are adhered to and schedules allow for sedate progress on the route. Driving standards have greatly improved, passengers no longer cross themselves when boarding and buses no longer carry an image of the virgin Mary.
Before discussing the buses and making any
conclusions on their condition, it is worthwhile briefly looking at the condition
of Maltese roads. They fall into three standards; short lengths of modern
highway with smooth tarmac, generally paid for by the EU; urban streets with
some rough lengths, not dissimilar from the worst roads in Britain, and finally
rural roads, best described as potholes occasionally connected with tarmac. The
majority of vehicles operated by Malta Public Transport are King Longs, either 9-meter
XMQ6900J or 12-meter XMQ6127J. Although these represent the current offering
from King Long, and are all low floor, they do not match standards normally
associated with most European manufactures. Rough engines and mis-matched
gearboxes give a ride reminiscent of an AEC Swift or Bristol RE. The exterior
bodywork on the first deliveries is showing signs of quite severe rusting,
whilst the interiors look worn and in need of refurbishment on all the fleet,
and the much heralded air conditioning has given up with windows and roof vents
being open. Would any European manufactured vehicles stand the rigors of such
intensive utilisation and high passenger numbers? Passenger loadings are on a
level we would associate with London or Hong Kong and vehicles operate for
eighteen plus hours a day. One redeeming feature is the telematics. Large
continually scrolling screens are fitted on all vehicles and display bi-lingual
route direction and next stop information in Malti and English, although the
volume of the associated audio announcements is set to low to be audible. The
King Long fleet is supplemented on Gozo by an Optare Solo Hybrid and on
Independent operator in Valletta bus station.
In a desperate move to cover the withdraw of ex
London Mercedes-Benz artics, Malta Public Transport contracted former
independents to cover several routes and provide peek hour additions to other
routes. Routes covered in their entirety by independents are X2; X3; X4; X5 and
X7, all providing cross island services focused on the airport. Vehicles used
are a mix of full size buses and coaches, including former Reading Transport
YN56 FBF, Scania Omnicity still in Vodafone red and with full Reading legal
lettering, now operated by Peppin Transport. Some of these vehicles carry
ticket machines provided by the transport authority, although no attempt is
made to collect revenue or check tickets. Three minibus routes are also
covered, the 201 Airport - Blue Grotto -
In April 2014 the Maltese government issued an update statement. It confirms a leasing agreement for forty-three new air-conditioned buses. There has been three expressions of interest in taking over the operating franchise, two from local Maltese companies and one from the Spanish subsidiary of National Express. UK operators McGills and National Express have already dismissed any involvement, citing lack of transparency on the part of the Maltese government. The Government also reported a further 7% drop in revenue between January and March 2014.
Optare Solo in Gozo.
So is the situation any better than twenty six years ago? The answer is a most definitely yes. Whilst many may bemoan the loss of the iconic Maltese bus, like the Routemaster in London, they had no place in a modern, intense transport operation. Some areas still need addressing; driver communication skills with passengers are sadly lacking; revenue enforcement; vehicle maintenance, occasional roadside breakdowns were noted and the aroma of hot oil and diesel not uncommon; Valletta bus station requires the finishing touches, removal of the portacabins and inclusion of stands 16 and 17 into the main concourse, three of the fifteen stands have already been demolished by drivers overshooting the stop ramps and need repairing, finally, Cirkewwa terminus needs the finishing touches, currently being devoid of marked bays despite being the third busiest interchange. The management of Malta Public Transport are doing a sterling job in the face of intense political interference. The island now has a recognisable modern network with reliable timetables and buses, driven by professional well trained staff. Arriva should be proud of its legacy, just don't mention the artics.
https://omnibusworld.weebly.com/
