A potential U-turn by London on bendy buses will have no bearing on Malta, which will remain steadfast against their re-introduction to our roads.

A spokesperson for transport minister Ian Borg told Lovin Malta there are no plans to give bendy buses a second chance, arguing they have already proved inadequate for Maltese roads and routes. 

London’s transport advisory committee recently proposed the re-introduction of bendy buses, six years after they were cast out of the British capital by then mayor Boris Johnson and shipped off to Malta during the much-maligned privatisation of public transport by Arriva.

Yet, the London Assembly Transport Committee recently said bendy buses are the most efficient sort of bus, because they have a higher capacity than regular buses and allow passengers to get on and off more quickly than double deckers. 

However, Borg’s spokesperson said Malta Public Transport already increased its bus fleet “substantially” to make up for the loss in capacity from the bendy buses. 

“Malta Public Transport has invested heavily in modernising and increasing the size of the bus fleet,” she said. “In fact, MPT has, only last month, announced the addition of 28 new buses. It is very positive that bus patronage has increased so much in a matter of months, encouraging it to invest more in improving its services.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]