Launch not up to Arriva standard, CEO concedes

“It was never going to be easy. We spent huge efforts in training, but theoretical preparation is always different from reality and actual live experience,” Martin told journalists on the fourth day since Arriva’s transport network launched.

While initially off to a stumbling start hampered by a driver shortage, endless waiting times and a non-existing timetable, the Arriva bus service is starting to show signs of stabilisation.

“Sunday was extremely disappointing,” Martin conceded, saying it was significant that around 100 drivers who had signed contracts with Arriva didn’t turn up for work.

He said that despite Arriva having had contingency measures “to a degree” to account for such eventualities, the resulting staff shortfall was too large to effectively cater for, and the network suffered as a result.

He apologised to Maltese commuters. “[The launch] did not happen the way we wanted it to happen.”

Martin however said that he had been witnessing slow progress, “but we clearly have a way to go still.” He added that Arriva’s priority is to ensure the stability of the service.

Martin announced that Arriva plans to bring in more foreign staff to handle maintenance, resource allocation, and morning despatching from all over Europe. “We recognised that it is a priority for Maltese to get to work on time in the morning,” he said, saying that the resources would streamline the morning service in particular.

He added that Arriva has already put action plans in place, and these are expected to improve service from one day to the other.

He said that it would be a good six months until the bus transport system is refined and reviewed to the point of perfection, along with a potential route review by Transport Malta that is still in the works.

Asked by MaltaToday whether the timing for the transport system overhaul was ill-timed given the additional summer pressures, Martin said that “given the scope of the changes, any time for have been a difficult time.”

Martin said the public had high expectations of the Arriva service and that this added to the sense of disappointment resulted. He said the government had taken "a courageous decision" in pressing on with such a drastic change-over, maintaining that it would have led to disruption no matter what.

He added the way Valletta-Floriana interchange was being managed would be revised, explaining that he was “unhappy with the queuing system.”

The interchange was the target of a lot of resentment at the new transport system, as commuters waited for hours to board a bus to take them to their destinations.

Asked if Arriva was happy with the routes as established by Transport Malta, Arriva director Piers Marlow said that given the initial chaos and disruption, it is hard to make a clear judgement. “There is the feeling that the mainline routes are good and ideal for the future,” he said, adding that there had been fitting conditions to test the feeder and secondary routes.

He said that “hopefully” a more accurate picture would emerge over the coming days as the hiccups calmed down.

Martin also reiterated previous statements by Arriva directors Piers Marlow and Keith Bastow, and said that Arriva is doing its best to bring its service up to speed, and that the additional drivers shipped to Malta would be all on the roads by the end of the week.

Martin also told journalists that he has been in Malta since 2am on Thursday morning and has already toured certain areas and the Valletta/Floriana bus interchange, as well as having attended a meeting with the Transport Ministry.