My first bus ride was from San Gwann to Valletta. What an experience. Maltese buses are… well ancient, mostly. We do have some new “King Longs” (no joke!) with TV screens advertising cleaning services and the like, but most buses date back to prehistoric times and come with a rope bell, which doubles as a support mechanism when the suspensions (if any) give way (at every traffic light/stop sign/pothole/opportunity for the driver to have a chat with his friends in the middle of the road).
In Malta there’s no such thing as a schedule. Well, in theory there is, but it’s nowhere to be found. And if you do get your hands on one, rest assured it won’t be respected by the amazingly friendly and articulate drivers (by no means am I generalising).
My sister Debbie and I once witnessed the friendliness and approachability of these creatures first-hand. Summer of 2006. Debbie and I are on a bus from Sliema to Valletta. A merry tourist hands the driver LM 0.23 (Maltese liri, our long-lost currency) in 1c coins. The driver grabs the money, gives the tourist an angry look and throws the coins out of the door (bus doors are never closed here… why bother?). Then he mumbles some swear words in Maltese and instructs the puzzled tourist to have a seat (by pointing at the wooden slats covered with gooey foam one is supposed to sit on). Debbie is shocked. I give her a reassuring nod.
October 2008. Andre’ and I go to Valletta for the evening to enjoy the “Notte Bianca”. After a few hours visiting the national library and some churches, and gobbling down pastizzi (for a change), we decide to head home with the night bus. The driver is clearly very worried about health and safety rules, as he spends fifteen minutes chattering on his mobile while zigzagging his way through traffic. I decide to confront him. Bad move. Thank God Andre’ comes to the rescue.
For the record, Andre’ and I have a car. A new one, which we hardly ever use. Our insurance premium is sky-high. Yearly maintenance costs us a fortune. Would we trade it for the greener option, public transport? Let’s face it, would you?
My first Maltese bus-ride: I had seen that there were some busses parked in the square in Naxxar (near where I lived) so I went there. One of them had people sitting in it, but no driver. They were all in a cafe across the street. So I went and asked: "Excuse me, but when does the bus leave?" And I got the reply (in the impatient tone of someone stating the obvious: "when it's full up". Of course.
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