Malta Travel Forum

Does this company really gives a bad service? I've read a post in an (old) question posted in the misc forum about Arriva company. He/she wrote this service is crap. What do you say?

I saw that new addition to the thread from a brand-new member too, Maurizio.

I know there were (inevitable,imo) teething troubles and I too would be interested to know what deterioration in service, if any, there has been.

Well I personally can't say whether the service is "crap" as I haven't used it yet, I'm actually waiting for the complaints to die down! A couple of days ago Arriva Malta introduced some new routes and made some changes to the existing routes. There have been lots of complaints - people waiting for hours on bus-stops, trips taking hours to arrive at their destination when it once took 3/4-hour by bus to get from one end of the island to the other. I really do feel sorry for tourists and people who don't have cars and have to make use of the public transport just now, in the hot and humid Maltese summer. Arriva are trying their best to get the service running efficiently but it may take some more time. The buses are clean, comfortable, air-conditioned, easy to board for people with mobility problems (unlike the old Maltese buses), and the bus-drivers actually have manners...at least that's what I've heard :-) Another big complaint are the bus fares for non-Maltese - they are double the price of what the Maltese are paying. Read more about the bus service in the Times of Malta newspaper...here is an article in today's issue:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110913/local/-Take-a-taxi-if-you-re-in-a-hurry-.384551

Arriva Malta website: http://www.arriva.com.mt/