Stop waiting for the metro: Fix the buses we already have

I’m a bus user — and I’m tired of waiting for the “holy grail” of public transport: the metro.

Politicians keep promising to address the problem twenty years down the line, as if the rest of us can just keep waiting.

The Transport Minister says that “punitive” measures to curb car use can only come once mass transport alternatives are in place.

So those of us who already rely on buses, already doing our bit to reduce traffic, are expected to keep enduring overcrowded buses and endless delays caused by the very traffic we’re helping to avoid.

By the time a mass transport system is in place, I’ll be 70. Probably closer to 80 if we start digging tunnels — given the delays we can expect from inevitable archaeological finds. By then, many of us will be long gone.

So why not build on what we already have? Buses will always be part of the equation anyway.

People in Malta have long shunned buses, seeing them as a service for “losers.” But I’m a proud lifelong bus user.

I’ve seen the old, filthy, dysfunctional fleet replaced when Arriva took over — only to see routes become longer and less efficient after subsidies were cut just when they were most needed.

Over the past decade, I’ve seen small improvements — constantly eroded by the relentless rise in passenger numbers.

I’ve seen the passenger mix change too: once mostly lower middle-class Maltese and tourists in summer, now a daily blend of migrant workers, tourists, teenagers, and elderly people.

And I’ve seen notable improvements in the quality of bus drivers — even as they struggle to convince passengers to “move back.”

I was one of the first to call for free public transport back in the 1990s, and I was glad when a Labour government finally introduced it.

No, it didn’t convince many to ditch their cars, but it did recognise something vital: that sustainable mobility is a fundamental right which should remain affordable for everyone.

But since the post-Covid recovery, I’ve witnessed unprecedented overcrowding — on buses and at major stops — reaching levels that feel almost dangerous.

People literally struggle to get on. Forget queues and basic bus etiquette. This has nothing to do with ethnicity and everything to do with stress and the fear of being left behind. Usually, after one or two jam-packed buses, a third one comes along that’s less full. But it shouldn’t be like this.

The number of buses has grown from 415 in December 2020 to 508 in December 2024 — a 22.4% increase.

Yet passenger numbers have grown even faster. In peak tourist season, bus trips hit a record 7.48 million — a staggering 34.7% rise since August 2019.

So yes, we clearly need more buses.

But the biggest problem isn’t the number of buses — it’s that they’re trapped in the same traffic as everyone else.

We simply don’t have enough bus lanes to give them priority. Without that, we’ll never turn our bus network into a true mass transport system.

Sure, we can dream of underground connections one day. But that can grow organically, while we make real improvements now.

My fear is that politicians have forgotten us — perhaps because many bus users can’t vote, or are too busy just getting by to organise and demand better service.

But the future is now. There will be no change in mentality if we keep waiting for the “holy grail” to arrive.