New Buses for Summer in Malta

When we arrived back in Malta after our sojourn in the East, our taxi ride from the airport was diverted due to the presence of a burning bus in the middle of the road.  This was not the aftermath of riotous scenes, but rather the unfortunate tendency of the bendy buses to self-combust in the heat of a Maltese summer.  

Or in this case, a Maltese winter.

Sensibly - eventually - these mobile tinder-boxes were taken off the roads before someone got seriously hurt.

And now that Arriva are off the scene, the Maltese government has taken over operation of the buses until a new transport company comes on board.  While this has meant a variety of rather dodgy looking coaches and charabancs operating the airport routes, the government has held things together admirably and the service has been perfectly good.

For the summer season 45 shiny new white buses are being shipped in to be up and running by the hectic summer season, when air conditioning becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity on crammed buses.

Expect to see them on the streets within a couple of weeks.

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Photo1: Ingrid Magri Overend - mynews@timesofmalta.com
Photo2: maltatoday.com.mt