Malta needs to rise above the traffic
Public Transportation is the solution
As much as everyone in Malta should be using public transportation, it is not without its problems. The largest complaint, according to an article in “Malta Today,” is the behavior of bus drivers. The next two complaints are punctuality and routing.
There are several ways that the new bus company could fix these problems, bus driver behavior notwithstanding. A GPS based app that tracks buses in real time could help people know when they need to be at the bus stop. By having the actual location of the bus on the person’s mobile, he or she can know how late the bus is going to be delayed.
I am told that people can text their queries about the bus and they will receive current information, but an active system that requires initiative on the riders part is less likely to be used and less convenient. The app would be a passive system once it is loaded on the person’s phone, and it is more likely to be used because it is something that people are used to doing with other apps. This may be the easiest fix available. While it does not change the problem, it allows people to adjust their schedules.
Waiting an hour or more for a bus is unacceptable in almost every western nation. Nothing is worse than arriving at the station, watching the bus pull away and knowing that the next bus may arrive at any time in the next two hours. Adding more buses to the route would also improve the problem of punctuality because punctuality is only the framework with which the actual problem is being discussed. People want to know that they can get where they are going in a timely fashion.
The argument against adding buses is circular. We can’t add more buses because people aren’t filling up the ones that we have on a route. People aren’t filling up the buses on a route because people cannot guarantee what time they will arrive at their destinations. If more people rode the bus, the company would have to add more buses. However, if the company had more reliable bus service, more people would ride the bus. If you build it, they will come.
More drastic solutions would be to add a PeopleMover system or a Monorail to Malta’s public transportation system. Walt Disney World has a PeopleMover that takes people on a tour of Tomorrowland. The system pulls into the station, slows down so that people can get on, and then moves out of the station at a surprising speed. The cars are always moving and always available. With relatively little wait time, a PeopleMover can get the Maltese from one place to another while eliminating the problems of punctuality and missing a bus. The PeopleMover will also add jobs and increase the possibilities of developing tourism. The track can be laid airborne above the normal traffic. The routes will need to be more direct.
The Monorail offers the same advantages as the PeopleMover in terms of track and jobs. Still a popular mode of transportation in both U.S. Disney Parks, the Monorail is also used in Seattle. The speed of the Monorail makes it ideal for city to city movement.
These transportation systems aren’t without their flaws. The Maltese will have to take care of the facilities that house the stops for each system, and vandals and panhandlers could be a concern. However, the Monorail and the PeopleMover can offer tourists unparalleled views of Malta. These transportation systems can also offer Maltese a comfortable way to rise above the traffic.
There are several ways that the new bus company could fix these problems, bus driver behavior notwithstanding. A GPS based app that tracks buses in real time could help people know when they need to be at the bus stop. By having the actual location of the bus on the person’s mobile, he or she can know how late the bus is going to be delayed.
I am told that people can text their queries about the bus and they will receive current information, but an active system that requires initiative on the riders part is less likely to be used and less convenient. The app would be a passive system once it is loaded on the person’s phone, and it is more likely to be used because it is something that people are used to doing with other apps. This may be the easiest fix available. While it does not change the problem, it allows people to adjust their schedules.
Waiting an hour or more for a bus is unacceptable in almost every western nation. Nothing is worse than arriving at the station, watching the bus pull away and knowing that the next bus may arrive at any time in the next two hours. Adding more buses to the route would also improve the problem of punctuality because punctuality is only the framework with which the actual problem is being discussed. People want to know that they can get where they are going in a timely fashion.
The argument against adding buses is circular. We can’t add more buses because people aren’t filling up the ones that we have on a route. People aren’t filling up the buses on a route because people cannot guarantee what time they will arrive at their destinations. If more people rode the bus, the company would have to add more buses. However, if the company had more reliable bus service, more people would ride the bus. If you build it, they will come.
More drastic solutions would be to add a PeopleMover system or a Monorail to Malta’s public transportation system. Walt Disney World has a PeopleMover that takes people on a tour of Tomorrowland. The system pulls into the station, slows down so that people can get on, and then moves out of the station at a surprising speed. The cars are always moving and always available. With relatively little wait time, a PeopleMover can get the Maltese from one place to another while eliminating the problems of punctuality and missing a bus. The PeopleMover will also add jobs and increase the possibilities of developing tourism. The track can be laid airborne above the normal traffic. The routes will need to be more direct.
The Monorail offers the same advantages as the PeopleMover in terms of track and jobs. Still a popular mode of transportation in both U.S. Disney Parks, the Monorail is also used in Seattle. The speed of the Monorail makes it ideal for city to city movement.
These transportation systems aren’t without their flaws. The Maltese will have to take care of the facilities that house the stops for each system, and vandals and panhandlers could be a concern. However, the Monorail and the PeopleMover can offer tourists unparalleled views of Malta. These transportation systems can also offer Maltese a comfortable way to rise above the traffic.