Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503368
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JULY 2023 NEWS JUST before the summer had even started a record 5.8 mil- lion passengers had travelled by bus across the Maltese is- lands. This new record achieved in May, surpassed the previous milestone of 5.7 million pas- sengers, recorded at the peak of summer in August 2019. These figures from the Trans- port Ministry show an increase in patronage nine months after public transport was made free for commuters with a Tal-Linja card. "In fact, it is expected that we will end this year with yet an- other record in the number of passengers carried," a spokes- person for the ministry told MaltaToday. But success in this case can also be the mother of failure if the frequency of service is not increased to match rising de- mand. It appears that the gov- ernment and the bus company, Malta Public Transport, are not sitting on their laurels. To avert overcrowding along routes passing through main tourist areas, four routes have had their frequency increased during peak hours while an- other 13 are being earmarked to follow suit in the coming weeks. The ministry said that a re- cent internal exercise showed that 17 routes were identified as requiring additional capac- ity. "Four of these routes have already started and are cur- rently operating with increased frequency during peak times." The scheduled public trans- port operator has already brought over 25 new electric buses to join the existing fleet. A further five new electric bus- es are expected to hit the road by the end of July. In total 320 new electric buses will be add- ed to the service and eventual- ly over 300 daily trips will be added to the existing network. The Transport Ministry ac- knowledged what it described as a "slight increase in com- plaints" from the Northern part of the island during the summer months. But it also blamed "ongoing development and roadworks" for some of the mishaps. Packed like sardines: consumers relate bus ordeals Commuters who spoke with MaltaToday concur that buses are becoming more overcrowd- ed particularly on already busy routes that are also heavily fre- quented by tourists. Some commuters noted that the situation, although precar- ious has not reached a tipping point, despite the increased tendency by drivers to pack passengers like sardines. "I still manage to travel around by bus on most days and to arrive to my destination, but soon we will reach a state where we will have to sit on each other's lap," a commuter told MaltaToday. Others complained that they are being forced to struggle to retain their place in the queue as passengers rush to claim their place on already full bus- es. "The crowd milling as 'queues' would be a misnomer at Msi- da on the Valletta outbound journeys often numbers about 100," a daily bus user said. The same commuter, who has been using buses for the past five decades, noted that since buses became free, the number of users have shot up. "From an environmental point of view, we're all happy about that, but travelling has become more difficult. The number of passengers now frequently crammed in buses harks back to the 1960s when buses were privately owned, and drivers did their damned- est to ensure that the absolute maximum of users boarded the bus to secure a higher financial intake." Another commuter not- ed that buses are usually full. "Sometimes the driver asks you to enter from the middle part of the bus where you don't have to check in your card," she said. Regular bus users also report- ed that problems can be avoid- ed by using the Tal-Linja app. "The app is now highly opti- mised and very much improved from when I started using it in October 2016," one commuter told MaltaToday. Another regular user from Siema, confirmed that bus- es coming from Pembroke/ St Julians/Swieqi during the evening, especially after 5pm and even during the day "pass full", but he usually manages to get to Msida or Valletta by using bus number 15 which de- parts from the Ferries. A less experienced commut- er reported that after he had been left stranded by two full buses arriving from St Ju- lians, he decided to start walking to Msida only to notice that an emp- ty bus arriving from the Ferries had cleared the stages by the time he ar- rived in Ta' Xbiex. Giving up But some other commuters are giving up on waiting and resorting to the more expensive cabs to get to their destination. "Yesterday evening the ferry didn't work due to malfunc- tion, so I waited for a bus at the Sliema Ferries, but after a while started losing the will to live, due to too many people on the bus stop and the slim likeli- hood of getting on the next bus, whenever it showed up (because its arrival time on the app kept getting longer and longer). So, I sucked it up and hailed a cab," one irate commuter said. Another said she has "given up taking buses from the Gżira front" and instead walks to Msi- da adding that "the times I did otherwise I was punished". Moreover, over-crowding is a major turn-off for some com- muters. "Lately we've started using our car again as the buses from Sliema have become so full that you are forced into close phys- ical contact with people you don't know," another frustrated commuter said. Some commuters also ex- pressed their frustration at missed trips. Some even re- ferred to bus trips announced on electronic bus schedules mysteriously disappearing. "Along the Attard route, ac- cording to the schedule there should be a bus every 10 min- utes or so (from Dingli and Rabat). Invariably, they arrive every 30mins together. We are lucky there are some bus shel- ters along the route - but they're made of glass and the heat is Catherine Camilleri