Worthy of a museum. Malta's ageing bus stock at the end of the line
Everyone in Malta has an opinion on the Maltese bus. Including those who do not actually use a bus for transport. In a crowded place, it’s difficult to go about your life ignoring the trundling yellow and orange (Malta) or grey and red (Gozo) machines.
The opinion camps tend to congregate along the following lines:
Buses are a necessary evil. They’re cheap, get you from point A to point B. And they’re particularly useful if you work in Valletta where parking on weekdays is a nightmare.
Buses need to be replaced. They are decrepit, smelly, dangerous, outdated, a menace to anyone on the road and driven by rude maniacs.
Buses are a remnant of a romantic past. Tourists buy models of them, photograph them and write about them. They need to be preserved as a core component of Malta’s cultural heritage.
We’ve sat on the fence on this one, merely highlighting passenger etiquette and the ecosystem. But the wheels of progress are now in motion, spurred by public opinion that ‘something needs to be done about the buses’ and it’s starting to look as if the days of the Maltese bus as we know it are indeed numbered. Unless there’s some dramatic u-turn by the powers that be, most of our current rolling stock will fail prescribed criteria for carbon emissions, wheel-chair accessibility and more.
If you’re alarmed by the threat of the scrap heap for the beloved Malta bus and its replacement by something equivalent to a 21st century machine, you can make some noise by signing an online petition here.
Photo: Gethin Thomas
It is a great pity ,from a holiday makers point of view,that the old buses are to be replaced.However I that I can fully understand that the Maltese who use them on a frequent basis feel the need for something better.
I first travelled in them in 1954 when in the forces and they do not appear to have changed greatly,only in that they used to be in a variety of colours ,a different one for each route. I hope that the Tourist Authority will bring a few of them up to a compliant state so that they can be run without offending the powers that
be.
I would’nt be a bit surprised if some of them are converted to on the spot Hamburger/Hot Dog stands, complemented by refreshments, possiblility also to a fish and chip stand. That’s an attraction in itself.
A bendy bus ? That’s the British wording for an articulated Canadian Buses in some cities. These buses are about 60 ft. long. Too big for the roads in Malta, especially in the villages. They’re okay going in a straight direction, but when it comes to turning at a corner that’s a problem, especially in Malta.
im surprised that nobody ever notice the recemblance between maltese buses and a 3ton army lorry! some of these buses were actually ex army and raf 3 tonners bought by maltese contructors ,they were dismantled and rebuilt as buses!!
This is a wonderful anecdotal article from a BBC correspondent in mid June 2010, just before Arriva took over. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9520210.stm
Barrie,
I know that a good number were bought (not sure if it was by Heritage Malta or Malta Tourism Authority) to be kept for posterity, some lovingly restored for tourist routes / rides. I doubt they will be ready for that yet. I suggest you contact MTA and / or Heritage Malta to see if they can help with your query. There’s also the Classic Car Museum in Qawra – they might have their eyes on an old bus themselves, but perhaps can help. Let us know here if you have some luck.
Does anyone know where these old bus’s are stored, and if they can be viewed when I’m in Malta in May
Bendy buses are a reality, especially on the Valletta-Sliema Bugibba routes. (Written 5 Feb). Piece of advice, don’t ride in the trailer if you suffer from sea-sickness!
The bendy-bus thing is NOT a joke. No April fools here… I saw one on training this morning. And apparently THERE WILL BE 49 OF THEM, all plucked out of the streets of London, because they proved un-safe over there.
Hi there, i visited your islands last month. And yes i love the buses, but what will happen to them when they go? Scrap or just kill them, well something needs to be done, either a museum or bring them to the uk.
Whilst I agree, some of the older buses are decrepit and are driven by surly, bad tempered individuals with nil customer service, there are positives about the older Maltese buses that are kept smart. These are:
1. Built in, by and for Malta, to a practical design which works (including heat and flood rains)
2. The best are immaculate gems, unique to Malta and in the world and are as much an icon to Malta as are red double-deckers in London
3. For decades they have given Malta a cheap, workable, frequent bus service (in 14 visits to Malta, travelling by bus every time, not one bus has ever broken down)
4. People unfairly accuse the older buses of being ‘boneshakers’; they have sturdy (ie not too soft) suspension to cope with the abysmal road surfaces in Malta. It might be worth fixing these before fixing the buses
5. It would be far, far better to retain Maltese Governmental control of the operation of buses than let British (or other) profit-driven big groups take over
6. It has been shown over decades that buses designed, built, owned and driven by Maltese are best, not imports from overseas, so often unsatisfactory.
But the worst of what ‘has been’ is atrocious and should be addressed, such as the stinking, filthy excuse of a bus station at Valletta, the dirty and unsafe older buses (such as those running on paraffin instead of diesel), and some of the rough, bad tempered individuals who should never drive a public vehicle again – I recall once walking from Valletta to Sliema having alighted from the last 62 of the day, after a violent driver lost his temper aboard his bus ….. and then continued to drive, like an utter lunatic.
So whilst there is bad you need to sort, what Malta needs to my view is a cheap, workable bus service that is attractive.
I hope (but doubt) that you will get it via this tender process.
And do keep some of those old gems for posterity – they ought to have ‘world heritage’ status.
I can’t see a bendy bus making it through some of the streets either. It’s only a rumour and you know what romours are like!
It probably started because they’ve got to go somewhere or be sold and the Bus Company that owns them in London is tendering for the bus routes in Malta I understand.
Yes, I can see that one getting stuck on those tight corners! Articulated lorries, the few that there are, have immense difficulties on the large main roads so I can’t imagine long vehicles negotiating narrow roads in village centres. I think the bus issue is really about us keeping the same (or improved) service (routes, times, pricing – if possible) and getting rid of unsafe, polluting old bus stock. Bar a few for museums and perhaps a few smartened up, and made satisfactory to run on some key ‘twee’ tourist routes. The Malta bus is the most photographed in the world, so yes, it does have clout in the tourism stakes and needs some preservation, but that can be left to a handful of routes. If you do live in Malta and are bus traveller, then you yearn for new buses. Having to stand up on a wobbling bus, somehow grab a piece of dirty string at ceiling height to ring a bell to indicate you want the next stop, is fraught with hazards. I’ve seen some old people barely manage it in one piece. That is not what we want any more….
A bendy bus in malta? You are joking, I hope!
I am a visitor to your islands.
I understand that some UK firms are lining up to tender for the bus routes. Beware, these Companies are crap over here don’t import them over there. Also, don’t import the bendy buses that we are removing from the streets of London.
Whilst your buses are a great attraction, I’ve been stuck behind them as well. They have old engines that have lost HP and smoke too much. I’m not a user of them but I can understand why some want them replaced.
I used to travel on coaches like these in the 60’s – time to upgrade I think.
I hope you chose the right vehicles and a good company to run the service.
As a non-resident maybe I ought to keep my nose out of the debate, but as a frequent visitor to Malta I have to say that your bus service is a huge attraction. Yes some of them look quaint and they are unique to your islands, but that’s not the (only) point. Yes some of them defy most known health and safety regs, but there’s something quite perversely exciting about hanging on for grim death. The main point for me is that they get you virtually anywhere on the islands, appear to run on time, stay running late enough for an evening out in Valletta and get back to Sliema or wherever else you might be staying. In short, it’s a fantastic service.
I’ve spoken to so many other visitors who are impressed by the service for practical reasons – no need to hire a car, cheap and dependable, extensive network and so on. So it’s not just a sentimental point of view.
I think the car driving and bus-hopping population would join in regretting any changes that undermine the service – more cars all year round, more car hires in the summer. On your roads? Really?! On the other hand, do you suspect there’s a car-hire firm lobby behind this move…
As someone who doesn’t often use them, but regularly sits behind them in traffic with my car windows wound up tightly, I also think they have to go. Sure, some of the old ones have a romantic appeal – from a distance – but get any closer and you put your lungs in danger.
As someone who uses them regularly, I think they have to go. For sentimental and historical value some of them will be in a museum.