Arriva patronage up by 28%, minister says
Austin Gatt: new statistics confirm public trust in Arriva service.
Transport Minister Austin Gatt has published new statistics from public transport operator Arriva that show bus patronage has increased by 28% in October over the same month in 2010.
The minister tomorrow faces a Labour motion of no-confidence, which is expected to be decided by the Speaker’s casting vote if Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono abstains on the motion.
Gatt said 3,443,236 passengers used the Arriva service in October.
“This confirms the tendency established in the first months of this new service, with October proving the more sustained and greater use of public transport,” Gatt said. “These figures show trust in the service despite the shortcomings that have been addressed by increased routes and buses.”
The statistics are based on the number of passengers boarding a bus, and not on the number of tickets sold. The increase in commuters was calculated using the bus counters. Buses are equipped with passenger counters and count the number of passengers boarding a bus.