New ‘end of week’ target for updated bus timetables

Timetables for the new bus routes will be installed at every single bus stop by the end of the week, Malta Public Transport has promised.

A company spokesperson told MaltaToday that they have only fallen slightly behind their original deadline to have every timetable installed on the 2,500 or so bus stops on the island by the end of Janaury.

“We are well into the process of updating all the timetables and have already changed a significant amount,” a spokesperson told MaltaToday. “This weekend, we shall also be running a number of adverts on newspapers, explaining the new timetables to our users, together with other material aimed at updating our users on all the changes.”

Bus routes were revamped towards the end of December, frustrating several commuters whose routes were either lengthened, reduced in frequency or removed altogether.

To make matters worse, many bus stops have not yet been updated to include the new timetables, effectively leaving commuters in the dark over when their bus is scheduled to arrive.

The routes were originally supposed to be gradually introduced in four phases starting from September. However, they were delayed due to industrial disputes over the new collective agreement that was being negotiated for bus drivers in the midst of a union recognition battle between the General Workers’ Union and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin.