Section # 13
Public Transport in Malta
Since I can remember there were three Public transport Systems in our island. Of course I don't remember when all transport was made by cart and horse. And I do not remember either the railway train although some remains can still be seen.
From my childhood days when private cars were not so common, I remember that to go from one village to another which were some distance away, people used to travel in colorful buses. All buses had the Main Terminus in Valletta and the Local Terminus in certain towns and villages all over the island. The color or colors of the buses showed the routes those buses traveled.
Here is a set of pictures of those buses which to some Maltese Migrants and also grown up Maltese who live in Malta, may bring some nostalgia.
Valletta-Zejtun Valletta- Siggiewi
Valletta-Kalafrana Valletta-Gudja-Ghaxaq
Valletta-Zabbar Valletta-Zurrieq
Valletta-B'Kara Valletta-St.Julians
Valletta-Naxxar Valletta-Rabat
Valletta-Cospicua Valletta-Sliema
Valletta-Mosta-Naxxar Valletta-Mellieha
Valletta-Lija Valletta-Zebbug-Siggiewi
The above were all route buses used in Malta up to about thirty years ago. There were other buses with other colors which can be seen just below.
All Gozo route buses had the same color as the one in this picture, all grey with a red strip all around. They kept this color till about a year ago when the great change in the public transport took place. As in all other pictures, one can see a landmark which relates to the route of the bus; here one can see a drawing of the famous Ta' Pinu Sanctuary.
Private Bus Gozo Mail Bus
In 1977 the system for public transport changed. All Malta route buses had to be re-sprayed all yellow with an orange strip all around. In this way all bus owners had to change their route according to a schedule. Now instead of different colors, routes were indicated with a number which was to be shown in the front of the bus and obviously changed according to the rout the bus was performing.
Lastly, the 2nd of June 2011 marked the end of an era and the start of a new system. New modern route buses were bought from a Spanish company "ARRIVA". There was also a big change in the routes. For months this caused a lot of hassle and confusion accompanied with lots of frustrated passengers who protested in many ways. Changes were gradually made and now a year later, one can say that things are getting back to normal but not quite. On the other hand, the new buses which have all the same color as seen in the photos below, are very comfortable and cater also for people with special needs. They are also environmental friendly.