Travelling on Malta

We rented mountain bikes at Agius Tourist Services on the Pioneer Road in Bugibba. The owner of this shop seams to have changed recently as the internet still tells you about the SKONIAAR BICYCLE CENTRE at the same location. The bicycles were okay, but still much worse than our own trekking bikes. This may have been one reason why our daily trips were a bit shorter than usual... Our trips are decribed here.

Contact details of the bike rental shop are as follows.

Agius Tourist Services
Pioneer Rood, Bugibba, Malta
tel. +356 21575884 or +356 21571603
mob. +356 99495604
email AgiusCarHire@Waldonet.net.mt

Malta's bus system is impressing. The transport network covers the whole island with Valletta being the main connection station. Some direct connection for example from Bugibba to Cirkewwa or to the 3 Cities have recently been established, but the vast majority of routes still start at Valletta. The main transport provider ATP publishes a timetable for all routes, but exact times are only stated for the starting point of the route. For later stops, passengers have to calculate and guess. However this is no problem on the main routes where busses are operated frequently (every 5 to 10 minutes).

The bus ride itself is kind of an adventure. The ancient busses do not have a door, the modern ones don't close it during the drive. This may seam to be odd, but you will learn to appreciate it since the busses don't have an air-conditioning... Another weird thing is the notification bell to get off the bus. In the ancient busses you will have to pull one of the strings that are spanned under the ceiling. Simple, but effective!

One of the most important things for you to remember is to have sufficient change (coins) for the fare. No matter how much you plead, how much you threaten the bus driver, he will not allow you to pay with a banknote (or ride for free). This is probably because he would soon run out of change because most fares range between 15 and 20 cents and the smallest banknote is 2 Lira.

As the times and bus numbers are said to change from season to season, you may want to get a current bus timetable at the tourist office in the airport (in the arrival terminal behind the Bank of Valletta).