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If anybody thought the recently announced reform of the public transport system was going to lead to changes that would finally make ‘public’ transport an alternative to the private car they had better think again.
The much heralded reform was announced with a promise that it would bring about “an immediate improvement in the scheduled bus service and will serve as the basis of a long-term agreement covering the years 2005 to 2009,” but details remained scant up until today, leading The Times editorial of 7 October to posit: “From this day forth, the head of Urban Development and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett is metaphorically on a plate. Whether he will be metaphorically beheaded will depend in large measure on what public transport will be like in the context of the agreement reached between the Malta Transport Authority and the Public Transport Association.”
The editorial continued: “Commuters have been waiting for this improvement for years. The time, it seems, has come. Or has it?”
MaltaToday quizzed minister Mugliett about the reform to get a better idea of what the public can expect and asked him to state exactly which new bus routes are to be introduced. Mugliett’s spokesperson Darrell Pace indicated that indeed, the focus of the new routes would be the university: “The new bus routes which are being introduced are intended to serve the University community and tourists visiting the island by linking towns and villages to the University, Paceville and Sliema. However the routes also link neighbouring villages and towns together before proceeding on to the destinations detailed above.” What Pace failed to mention was the fact that the service is non-existent after 4pm.
MaltaToday took a good look at the new routes and the first impression is that whoever thought them up must believe nothing happens in Malta in the evenings. Not one of the new bus routes will run after 7pm, most say goodnight at 4pm and some stop at 9am. With the new bus service added to what is already being provided it is impossible to go to the theatre or a concert in Valletta or the Three Cities and return by bus as no buses are available after 11 (Valletta), or 10 or 10.30 (Three Cities). Neither is it possible to go to Bugibba/Qawra in the evening and expect to find a bus back. Certainly our transport officials are no night birds. Another major problem is that nearly all the routes are long and travel once an hour, meaning that it is extremely difficult to predict when they will pass a particular bus stop, and missing them means a wait of one hour – certainly unacceptable in an age when people have appointments to get to.
The new routes are the following: route no 13 that links Valletta and Ghar Hasan, useful for tourists certainly, and also for Maltese that want to get to Hal Far industrial estate, but travelling along the already existing Valletta Birzebugia route (price unknown); a very useful circular route no 110 from Birzebugia to Paceville, but taking in its stride Marsaxlokk, Zejtun, Tarxien, Paola, Marsa, the university, the St Venera bypass and Sliema at the price of 15 and 30 cents depending on length of journey (the only problem with this will be that since the bus leaves only once an hour, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to predict when it is likely to pass at most of the bus stops).
Another new route (the 145) is that from Valletta to Cirkewwa passing from Msida, university, B’kara bypass, Naxxar Road, Lija, Mosta, Burmarrad, St Paul’s Bay, Mellieha, again leaving only on the hour from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm (price unknown) and strangely enough only between Monday and Friday (the return journeys leave at odd times that will be difficult to memorise).
Bus no 159 will take passengers from Valletta to Bugibba, on weekends, but again no service is offered after 7 pm, a ridiculous time for Maltese and foreigners alike, this time the route is through B’Kara, Lija and Mosta (price unknown). The service will be complemented by bus no 59 from Valletta to Bugibba via B’Kara, Lija, Naxxar, Mosta, with the service stopping at 7pm, leaving every hour on the hour (this service will be operated on Saturdays between 6am and 12 and then at 6 and 7pm only and on Sundays at 6 and 7 pm only).
Bus no 300 will take commuters from Senglea and Vittoriosa to the university, Sliema and Paceville, via Zabbar, Fgura and Paola but again the service comes to an abrupt halt at 4pm (price is 30c and 15c for the stretch between St Venera bypass on the outward journey and the same by pass returning (again the bus will leave once an hour on the hour making predictions difficult); bus 350, again one the hour every hour with a similar price structure to the previously mentioned will get commuters from Mqabba to Sliema and back via Qrendi, Zurrieq, Safi, Kirkop, the university, and Paceville, but once again there will be no buses available after 4pm; bus no 56 will travel from Valletta to Gharghur on weekdays only with the return journeys from 7am to 9am from Gharghur and from 10am to 4pm from Naxxar (no price mentioned), with the last bus leaving Valletta at 5pm.
Route 73 is from Valletta to Lija Tower via Psaila Street, B’Kara Mannarino and Naxxar Road, with the service being hourly from 6.30am to 8.30am and the return at 7, 8 and 9am.
Route 74 will operate at 7am and 8am only from Valletta to Balzan and returning at 7.30 and 8.30am, going through Psaila Street B’Kara (Mannarino) and Valley Road (no price is mentioned).
Another route that might be of interest to some tourists or people returning to Malta is that of no 800 taking people from the airport to Paceville and Sliema at 30 and 15 cents via Gudja, Ghaxaq, Paola, but nobody will be able to use it after 4pm. Bus no 810 will link Dingli and Rabat to the university, Sliema and Paceville, also with the 30 and 15c structure but also saying goodnight at 4pm.
Finally bus 890 will link Siggiewi and Zebbug with Sliema and Paceville, with the same 30 and 15 cents prices and nodding off at 4pm.
All the new routes start 11 October and can be seen on the news page of www.maltatransport.com. Negotiations for a long-term agreement between the ADT and ATP covering the years 2005 – 2009 will start early next year, but if you were thinking about buying a car, but put the decision off in the hope that public transport might be an alternative, in the near future, you might as well forget it. Get out your hard earned cash and buy that car.
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