Malta,historical,buses,phased, travel,insurance Maltas historical buses to be phased out
Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chiles national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}Up to some months ago, it was still an on-going issue in Malta: shouldthe old, chugging public transport charabancs of yesteryear be replaced withthe new, slim-line buses purposely built for the Maltese road? Well, the government has finally ruled: only one fourth ofthe present fleet of 508 buses meets the requirements stipulated by thereformed public transport system. The rest of the buses - which are consideredby the Maltese as a nuisance and a health hazard will be placed in a museumor recycled. Presently, the Maltese bus fleet is made up of many new,modern coaches, but also of an amazing selection of old buses that go back toPre-World War II days. Car lovers and bus enthusiasts who happen to visit Malta oftenrefuse to believe their eyes when they see them on the road for the first time. Tourists and foreigners simply love them, especially theBritish since most of the buses were made in the UK. Taking a ride on them is an experience they would never havethought possible in their lifetime. The traditional Maltese bus is a treasuretrove of old style and tradition. Religious icons and slogans greet you as yougo in, the windows rattle, the seats are hard and unrelenting, the"stop" lever still made of leather coil. An air of friendlinesspermeates the whole trip. The driver may be wearing a sort of uniform and hemay not, particularly in summer when shorts are a prerequisite, particularly ifyou happen to be too near the roaring, multiple-revamped engine that neverstops. Though extremely efficient and cheap, the Maltese publictransport system can still seem complicated to the new user, but that shouldnot worry you unduly. The driver and your fellow travellers won't have aproblem telling you where and when to descend, even where and when to take thebus back to Valletta,where all the buses go. The traditional Maltese bus may be in the throes of death asa result of the current modernisation project, but tour services on typicalMaltese traditional buses, painted in the tradition of the epoch, have become apopular choice with visitors who, on them, can at least catch the spirit ofthat vanishing breed of old honkers. This will, however, soon become something of yesteryear.The government has already unveiled the specifications for the new buses andpublished the tender documents.The new buses cannot be more than 15 years old. On the first day of the newsystem, a maximum of 70 per cent of the buses have to have low emissions (EuroIII and Euro IV).The new buses will also have to be equipped with a first aid box, CCTVsystems and electronic displays of the destination both at the front and back.Presently, bus drivers place a small board with the number on a placard on thefront and back of the bus to show their destination.Well, it seems like another part of the history of the Maltese Islands - which dates back to themegalithic temples built in 6,000BC - will be laid to rest. We just hope that a specific museum is built to house theold buses, which have played an important part in the life of the Maltese sincethe days preceding WWII.
Malta,historical,buses,phased,