| Anna_Galea |
May 29th, 2012 12:12 AM |
Yes, the old buses were all replaced by new ones about a year ago - you never see one in sight any more. A foreign company called Arriva - I believe it also has buses in the Uk and other countries, is responsible now for local buses.
Of course they do not have that charm that the older ones had, many tourists really loved them, but I guess it was time that they were changed. The new ones of course are air-conditioned, wheelchair accessible, etc. They are brand new and cost the Maltese Govt. many millions of Euros. The old ones were scrapped, or sold or if I remember well, and some of them were to be put in some museum.
Again, if I remember well, the local bus drivers were reimbursed for their buses, and they had to some courses and pass through a rigorous driving test before being employed by the new company. The hand-over to the new system took really long, with foreign drivers initially being sent to Malta. There was quite a dispute last year as of course some drivers (those who were accepted by Arriva wanted to support their ex-colleagues) did not like it and there were strikes, this combined with new routes and systems which the Maltese took long to get adjusted to, initially made the system slow, and Arriva was really critisized for its inefficiency. On the other hand, what maybe worked for other countries for Arriva did not work for Malta, taking into consideration our small Island and what we were accustomed to. The Transport Ministed was really critisized by the opposition (that is no new thing here in Malta, regarding politics).
Now the routes and system has been adjusted, and the people got used to it. It has different types of routes, some that are direct, and do not go to Valletta, like from St Julians directly to airport, others that go to Valletta, and from all locations there are buses that go directly the the new Govt hospital that has been built, or to University. The system is still a bit slow, and often buses do pass full in bustops in peak times, but I am sure it will keep on improving over time when the exigencies of the people and tourists are met.
To tell you the truth, I have never boarded on any of them, as I either drive or am driven, lol, but my younger son frequently uses them, and he now knows where to change buses etc, you do not have to go to Valletta now anymore to do that. To reach a certain locality there may be three different routes taken so that passengers may be picked up from any locality, and some are taken to a certain bus station like the university to change buses. But the Maltese still liked (or were used to) that they go to Valletta so lately they had to increase routes to the capital city again.
A real lot has changed in the last 8 or 10 years in Malta, namely improvement roads (there is still need for more to be done of course), promenades, a brand new state of the art hospital, huge malls and areas of entertainment very lovely and unique like The Point in Sliema built on a peninsula, currently an amphitheatre is being built which will also house the new parliament building at the entrance of Valletta - another big project, plus so many other projects are at hand that would attract more tourists like the building of a sea-life aquarium, the Manoel Island project, etc etc.
I think even the traditional Maltese mentality of the younger generation has changed a lot lately from my days - I am in my forties. I think the Maltese were more laid back at the time, and maybe liked to save up more etc - nowadays everyone lives for the day to have the best time ever.
We also now have more laws and regulations we have to adhere to by the EU, which we are doing very successfully, this including the problem of deficit the EU is facing in some countries - we have to help them out as well. We also have many better roads as many were funded by the EU. The EU was very keen for us to enter the union since Malta is at a very important strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean and could be of great help, an example of this is when there was a war going on in Libya, Malta helped Europe and USA so much, no wonder it is always in everyone's good books.
But I think that most tourists come to Malta because it is so rich in history ( for example it has the oldest archeological sites ever recorded in history) and because of its great sunny weather throughout the year. And I also believe they do like the Maltese way of thinking and the fun atmosphere, even if you just go for a coffee in Sliema. You know Malta was voted as the best and safest place to live, and also that the happiest people were the Maltese. I think it is due to the laid back attitude, and the fact that we are so close to mainland Europe, yet we still have a lot of identity since we are cut off as an island. I guess we have a bit of both worlds. I have so many frieds (USA and Australia) who emigrated and are so homesick of Malta but they can't afford to return for a holiday. All they do is keep on posting photos of Malta on their Facebook and try and keep in contact as much as possible.
Also the people here enjoy a lot of benefits from the country, like students studying at post-secondary level and University are given a lump sum before the beginning of their course and every single year of study to buy books, etc, and then are given a monthly allowance to be a bit of support for themselves and not be a burden to their families. You do not find that anywhere, on the contrary, in other countries you have to pay for the course or are forced to take loans, I really do think we are pampered and encouraged to continue our studies - that is maybe a reason why so many students are continuing their studies, but us Maltese unfortunately still take that a bit for granted.
I am afraid you are never going to encounter again any old (but as you said charming) Maltese buses or any poor cranky Maltese drivers who used to have to drive all day, stopping at countless bus stops in the unbearable heat of the Summer without aircon, lol. - who would not be cranky?
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