New bus routes ‘disastrous’ for university students

University students have been left fuming following the bus route revamp that came into play late last year. 

“The new routes have been nothing short of an absolute disaster for us,” law student Johann Agius told MaltaToday. “Bus routes to the university are now either lengthier, removed entirely, or slashed in frequency.” 

Agius recently set up an online petition, calling on transport minister Joe Mizzi to revert the bus routes that were introduced on 20 December. Pressure is now piling on Transport Malta to sort out the fiasco, with 1,355 people having signed the petition at the time of writing.  

As a result of the bus route revamp, several routes from Valletta to the university and Mater Dei (such as route 35) have been removed entirely. 

“I recently had to wait for 45 minutes near Portes des Bombes for a bus that passes through university and when one finally did arrive, it was completely full up,” Agius said. “By that time, I decided to go home as I had already missed my lecture.” 

Other routes have been significantly lengthened – buses from the Marsa Park and Ride terminus that used to travel directly to the university and Mater Dei now take a detour via St Luke’s Hospital and Hamrun. 

Agius, a Fgura resident, explained that this in practice means that his daily bus trips to university take half an hour longer than they used to. 

Students from Birzebbugia have it even worse, as their route (210) to the university has now been lengthened to also include Marsaxlokk, as well as St Luke’s Hospital and Hamrun. One student complained on the petition page that her journeys to the university now take a minimum of one hour and 15 minutes.   

The bus route (X1) that used to travel directly from Cirkewwa to the university and Mater Dei now takes a winding detour through Mellieha and doesn’t stop at the national hospital – a great inconvenience for medical and health students who live in Gozo.  

“These two essential details were left unmentioned during our most recent meeting with Transport Malta,” Gozo University Group president Denis Muscat said. “The situation is unacceptable and the changes have left Gozitan students frustrated.” 

Two bus routes (202 and 203) that used to travel from Sliema to the university, and the bus route (33) that used to travel from Swieqi have effectively been merged into a single route (233). 

“The 33 bus used to take me to the university in around 15 minutes, but its replacement goes through Sliema, which makes the journey 45 minutes long,” Swieqi resident Chantal Mangion wrote on the petition.

University students from Attard have been left particularly short-changed as a result of the new routes. With the 202 and 203 routes to the university removed, Attard students now have no choice but to catch the 106 bus – which now turns up (or at least should) every hour instead of every half hour.  

“It took me one hour and 45 minutes to get from Attard to the university, a journey that shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes,” Ruth Azzopardi wrote.

To make matters worse, the bus stop by the university’s main entrance has become something of a mini-terminus, with drivers parking their buses near the roundabout, causing road blockages. Ambulances have reportedly been forced to wait behind other vehicles, even in emergencies, as the parked buses allow no room for them to pass.   

In response to questions by MaltaToday, bus operator Malta Public Transport insisted that Transport Malta is responsible for bus routes and frequencies. Questions sent to TM were not answered at the time of writing, but the transport regulator had earlier claimed that feedback “indicates that many commuters are now being served better”. It did however acknowledge the need to “tweak” some routes.