At the beginning of July, this old bus will either be lucky and be put proudly on display at a Public Transport Museum or thrown to the dogs and scrapped (and that would be about time too).
Public transport in Malta is by bus. Many buses in Malta are old (though still very reliable). Successive governments have made attempts to modernise the system but, since buses are privately owned, usually driven by their same owner, reaching agreement with so many owners has been impossible. The number of commuters who travel by bus has been decreasing for years even though roads in Malta are very often clogged with private cars. Discipline among bus drivers has also been slack. The present administration has now taken the bull by the horn. It has bought back all bus licences (which has cost the country millions) engaged Arriva – an international company in this field – to replace completely the fleet, modernise the service with a view to increase substantially the number of people who travel by public buses.
When I was in Malta these buses were rickety and somewhat scary but it added to the whole experience. Although after four weeks of using them daily you got used to them :o)
Great shot. This particular bus is probably going to be transformed into scrap metal. I have seen some really good looking / well maintained buses that are more fit for the museum - and I hope they keep a few of them running to be used on touristic sightseeing routes. Interesting to add that the bodies of these buses were custom built in Malta and are unique. Some models are one-off designs.
@silverdraggin@jbatryn Thanks for your kind comments. When it's time to go you have to. These buses have been too much on the road. Thank God the best of them will go to the Public Transport Museum.
June 20th, 2011
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