A number of videos showing what seem to be cockroaches on Maltese buses have raised concerns about the state of the island’s public transport.

“I would like to make you aware that while there is a situation on our public transport less serious than ‘snakes on a plane’, a lot of people including myself are increasingly experiencing cockroaches on our buses,” said Timothy Alden, a prominent environmentalist and the deputy leader of Partit Demokratiku. “This public health issue should be seen to immediately and the potential source of the infestation dealt with at the earliest”.

Since the videos were uploaded to several public Facebook groups, many people have called on Malta Public Transport to clarify just how often buses are cleaned, leading to the organisation issuing a statement clarifying the cleansing situation for Maltese buses.

Malta Public Transport have clarified the situation… saying their buses undergo regular fumigation

Here is the full statement on the issue:

“Malta Public Transport buses are inspected everyday as part of the cleaning programme implemented by the company, followed by fumigation in cases where cockroaches or insects are detected.”

“Furthermore the full fleet is fumigated once a year, as part of a preventive programme. The last fumigation was carried out in August 2018 by an independent and reputable company.”

“Notwithstanding the above, another complete fumigation exercise on all of the fleet is currently underway as a preventative measure, given that a couple of isolated incidents were reported.”

“The company regrets any inconvenience this may have caused its passengers and assures them that immediate action is being taken.”

While many were feeling weirded out by the roaches, other people found the perfect opportunity for satire

One person asked, “how dare they get a free bus ride?” while another said they are just trying to keep warm: “They are just feeling cold like everyone else.”

And it didn’t take long for Cockroach Malta (which is a Facebook page about exactly what you’d think) to have its own say.

Have you had any similar experiences on public transport? Let us know in the comments and tag someone who’d be freaked out by this

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]