As the countdown to 3 July continues, Arriva is making its final preparations to deliver the best transport system possible for Malta and Gozo over the next 10 years.

Last week Arriva launched ‘My journey,’ a web-based journey planner which will enable passengers to familiarise themselves with the new bus routes and plan in advance the journeys that they are interested in taking. By using the ‘My journey’ feature on www.arriva.com.mt, you can find out not only what route you will need to take but also the estimated travel time to get to your intended destination.

This week Keith Bastow, Managing Director of Arriva in Malta, unveiled the route branding which appears on the side of buses serving mainline routes. The role of the route branding is to give additional, easy to see, useful information to passengers.

The coloured route branding graphics show the route number plus the starting point of the bus and the key stops along the way, ending with the final destination.

Where a similar group of services exists, the route branding graphics are able to display common routes, with different final destinations highlighted. For example, routes 61 and 62 both operate between Valletta and Qormi, with the 61 continuing on to Zebbug and the 62 running to Siggiewi.

Mr Bastow said, “We are committed to giving our prospective customers every assistance they may need to get to know how to arrive at their chosen destination – the buses themselves will be an important part of this. The route branding is designed to compliment the front destination which shows the route number and its final destination.”

“Route branding is particularly useful when introducing new routes and networks as it serves as a reminder of the key stopping points so those waiting to board can check they are about to board the correct bus. The highly visible design is also intended to make it easy for regular customers to spot the buses which they need by colour as well as number.”

The colours used in Arriva’s route branding were inspired by the colours historically used more than 50 years, when buses were painted different colours to reflect the localities they served.

The public can visit www.arriva.com.mt, e-mail any questions to enquiries@arriva.com.mt or call Arriva’s Customer Care Centre on 2122 2000. A response to all queries will be given as soon as possible.

Keith Bastow said, “The feedback we have received so far from the public has been very encouraging. We will continue doing what we can to help the public understand the new network and plan ahead to use the routes.”

ARRIVA MALTA SHAREHOLDINGS

Since it first started looking at public transport in Malta almost three years ago, Arriva has had a long successful relationship working closely with the bus owners that make up Malta Land Transport (MLT). After careful consideration, MLT advised that it doesn’t intend to take up the 10 per cent shareholding option in Arriva Malta, which confirms Arriva as the majority shareholder with a 66.6 per cent share holding and its partner Tumas with a 33.3 per cent stake.

Keith Bastow said, “I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere thanks to Victor Spitteri and those at MLT for their support of Arriva and the public transport reform. The knowledge they have shared of the current system and the feedback they have provided has been invaluable.”

DRIVER TRAINING

Arriva’s newly trained drivers are being given their final training to prepare them to enter service from 3 July. All drivers are also receiving ticket and route training to familiarise them with the new network and systems. It is essential that the remaining drivers have this training to help us provide a good service for our customers from day one.

Over the next week our drivers will be attending road shows where they will be given their uniforms, working rosters, employee handbooks, route guides and employee ID passes.

Mr Bastow said, “I would like to thank our drivers for the dedication they have shown to training and their hard work in preparing for the public transport reform. This is an exciting time for Malta and they are an important part of it.”

APT and Arriva have a challenge ahead given that one has an obligation to continue providing bus services until 2 July and the other has a training requirement in terms of the staff it is obliged to take over, under the terms of the contract with Transport Malta, from the current operator. There is a meeting scheduled with the two parties and Transport Malta, to work together to reach a suitable resolution for all parties, and in the interests of the travelling public.

WHAT NEXT

Mr Bastow said, “The focus of the Arriva team, our partners and suppliers continues to be on the delivery of the transformational change to public transport on 3 July, and providing better public transport options for the next 10 years.”

Permalink: Arriva continues preparations for transformational change