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Yep, sounds like the good old days!!!

I remember, when the Arriva buses were about to take over, it was the last Saturday of the old buses. Most of the other drivers were on strike or just passing people by.

This driver, had a very nice old bus and usually did the Bugibba/Rabat run, direct for 1.16 euro but for the couple of weeks upto the takeover, he packed the bus, charged the 1.16 to tourists but with no ticket, didn't charge the locals and bypassed Mosta!
Anyone who wanted Mosta, was told to walk from the top and someone asked for Ta' Qali and they were told it was closed!
Bless him, I asked if he said he was going with Arriva, he said no, he was retirering. He made a fortune those weeks, while other drivers passed by...Good luck to him I think!!!

My friend was in malta when the change over took place and told me people where fighting to get on a new bus lol. Personally I think they missed a great oppotunity there to keep the old busses running.

Fighting lol, probably fighting as they waited so long...I was waiting 3 hrs for the first couple of weeks for an X3 from Rabat! But yes, my kids just wanted to get on a bendy bus...Not now mind you!!

I for one am pleased the old buses have gone for regular commuting. Ok they still do have a place here - but keep them for tourist routes with timetables to suit.. they just not suited to daily commuting.

i remember one old bus driver did just as they said in earlier post - girlfriend or wife got on for the ride and they stopped at the pastizzi shop in paceville for something to eat while we al waited patiently...... laughable

A friend of mine got married last week in Malta.
And hired three of these for wedding guests.


They way to do it in style.

Came across this gem

Department urges jobless driver to apply for Malta post

Thursday, March 28, 2013

An unemployed 60-year-old man has been encouraged by the Department of Social Protection to apply for a job driving buses in Malta.



By Niall Murray
The €250-a-week post was notified in a letter to the man, who Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said is a constituent who has previously worked as a bus driver.

The Donegal South West TD asked if the Government was now actively encouraging emigration after being contacted by the jobseeker.

The job notice was sent from the Department of Social ProtectionÂ’s employment services office in Limerick earlier this month and outlined the bus driversÂ’ positions available at Arriva Malta Ltd, which operates the island countryÂ’s public bus services.

“I find it outrageous that a government department would ask a 60-year-old man with a mortgage to apply for a job in Malta that pays lower than the minimum wage here,” said Mr Doherty.

“If the man were to get the job, he would have obvious extra costs such as rent and travel while trying to pay his mortgage at home.”

According to the letter, the vacancy has been notified to the department and may have been of interest to the recipient.



It describes the duties as driving on routes around Malta, and even suggests there may be some consolation for the islandÂ’s salary rates being lower than here.

“Maltese workers pay among the lowest taxes in EU and annual living costs are substantially lower. The climate is typically Mediterranean,” it said.

Last night Mr Doherty tweeted an image of another letter which, he said, told a young Donegal teacher to apply for work in Spain.

Mr Doherty called on Social Protection Minister Joan Burton to clarify if it is her policyÂ’s department to seek low-paid jobs abroad for unemployed Irish people.



He said he understands there are 200 jobs available at the company in Malta and asked how many more unemployed people have been encouraged to apply.

The department said the European-wide initiative, EURES, had been in existence since 1993 to help jobseekers take up employment in other EU countries.

“Through EURES, public employment services share their employment vacancies and services with each other,” it said. “The service is extremely popular with jobseekers throughout Europe.

“Under the initiative, the department informs jobseekers in Ireland of such job opportunities in the wider European labour market which may be of interest to them.

“Any such employment opportunities which the Department of Social Protection brings to the attention of jobseekers are completely voluntary and people who do not avail of them will not lose their social welfare entitlements here,” it said.
© Irish Examiner Ltd.

Job agency suggests job to unemployed person  - whatever next

my expirience so far is - every day it's a neew adventure

when I work from 7 am i try to catch 6:15 bus... so I got to the stop at 6:05 just to be sure
so one day it showed up at 6:07, next day at 6:22 and day after that it never showed up (i asked people on a station did i came before 6 but no)

then a bit of line 202&203 which are those replaccement buses ... one day at mater dei hospital driver tolds us to go off the bus, new will come... and it did... in 30 minutes LOL

the day before yesterday driver didnt know the route so passengers were telling him where to turn , where to stop, which way to go...

and yesterday, 3 people standing on a station in b'kara, all 3 wawing to stop and he just looks at us and drives by ....

i just love them, as I said - every day a neew adventure

Does anyone know about how busy efficient the 222 bus is at the moment?  We have to travel to St James Hospital, Sliema next week and from my research it seems that the 222 is the one we need to get us from the ferry port (We live on Gozo) to near the hospital and then walk from there.  Is that the most efficient way and are the buses running ok on this route with the bendy buses being taken off?  Any help would be appreciated, thanks

Bus routes are all running (as far as I know) - coaches have been hired to replace the bendy buses. Actually, from what I can see, it's mostly the "busy" routes that are using the blue buses, and the other lines are using the hired coaches.

As for how efficient the 222 bus is, I think, it's the same as always. Which isn't really much of a reassurance, but hey.

Thanks pgl, I guess its gonna be a case of see what happens on the day

Good luck!

Hi rainbow,

the 222 is the right bus number to take to Sliema.

Next week school starts again so the UBS buses will be running as school buses again. I have no idea what will happen with the Arriva bus service without or with less UBS buses but the 222 usually runs a normal Arriva bus.

Maybe allow  more time to get from the Gozo ferry to Sliema

Cheers
Ricky

Thanks Ricky, I did wonder how it would be when the schools go back, we will set out in plenty of time to allow for delays, hopefully that route wont be disrupted if it usually uses a normal Arriva bus but will let you know what happens.

Hi rainbow,

get off at the Ghadir bus stop , cross Tower Road and turn into Windsor Street and then into Gorg Borg Olivier Street and walk up the street.

It is only a few minutes walk from the bus stop.

Cheers
Ricky

Thankyou Ricky, thats very helpful

So, with bendy busses out of action, I have been catching a clapped out old coach to Rabat this week (x3) They don't have ticket machines on them and I am at a stop without a machine, so it's been free!!!!

i am told that Arriva did tests on 20 of them yesterday and that they will be back much much sooner than they thought......

It would help if the buses were maintained properly.  Sat on one this morning and he was just revving the bus in neutral, for no apparent reason.  As they say, only in Malta

He may have been charging the air brake reservoir(s). Or charging the air conditioning system.

Intuition:  the acquisition of knowledge without reasoning or evidence. Seems par for the course. And misplaced.

"Intuition: the strange instinct that tells a woman sheÂ’s right, whether she is or not."

Oscar Wilde




(runs and catches the 222 outahere)

Just wanted to say Ricky, your instructions for the journey to St James hospital were perfect and we had no trouble finding our way there, the buses we used seemed to be running on schedule and we didnt have any problems, thankyou again, take care