Public transport operator should strive to improve service – AD

The use of the public transport pre-paid cards seems to be having a positive effect on the service. However, “the public transport operator should strive to make it easier, through more customer service staff, to use this card, Alternattiva Demokratika said today.

AD pointed out that “certain categories of people such as senior citizens are not used to using the internet and credit cards and as such more customer service points should be provided. It is also strange that it takes 24 hours for a card to be topped up.”

Ralph Cassar, AD spokesperson on energy, transport and infrastructure said, “in certain villages the public transport service is still not reliable, with scheduled buses not showing up. Can the operator inform us whether it has enough buses or are there still too few buses to keep up with the schedule?”

He added, “the operator or Transport Malta should also clarify the situation with the 2 Euro ticket bought on board – isn’t it supposed to cover all journeys within 2 hours as advertised? Transport Malta and the Police must also see to the blocking of bus stops by cars, illegal parking and the abusive use of bus lanes.”

“It is very important that the public transport service continuously improves. there is also a need of full transparency on the conditions of service, even where there are problems – it is only through transparency that things can improve,” Cassar said.

“We also call for the extension of public transport to a sea service – especially between heavily congested places. The same ticketing system should be used for these services, which can go a long way in reducing traffic. As regard new forms of transport, what happened to the proposals Government submitted to the EU regarding the light rail system?”

Ralph Cassar concluded that, “the next step is that the problem of heavy air pollution caused by vehicles in places which are well served by public transport routes, like Paola, Msida, Mosta and other places, is tackled. It is indeed a shame that the issue of pollution caused by traffic has been ignored, probably for electoral reasons and because the necessary measures are probably not that popular.”

Photograph: Alain Salvary