A bus driver has been suspended and will face disciplinary action after a tree branch smashed through a window of the bus he was driving on Thursday night.
The incident occurred on the northbound carriageway of the Regional Road close to Spinola at around 8.45pm, impacting the TD2 bus operated by Malta Public Transport (MPT) on route from the airport to St Julian’s.
And matters were made worse when, according to one of the passengers onboard, the driver attempted to drive off afterwards with the tree still lodged in the vehicle.
While the branch crashing through the window came as a shock to passengers, MPT has said nobody was hurt in the incident, which it blamed on overhanging trees it said it had already flagged to authorities.
On Thursday night, a bus journey from Malta International Airport to St Julian’s was rudely interrupted when the branch of a tree extending over a wall running down the side of the road crashed through one of the bus windows.
“It was a bit shocking to say the least,” said passenger Carolyne Okeijn, who was returning home from the airport after a holiday in Rome.
“It was a real shock when it happened, and the driver didn’t even say anything to us after it happened,” she said.
Okeijn said she and another passenger had almost been hit when the branch came through the window and described glass flying over her head.
While she hadn’t noticed the bus being driven erratically or excessively quickly, Okeijn said she had been unimpressed by the reaction of the driver to the incident, who she said hadn’t issued advice to passengers following the crash.
You’d have thought they were trained to deal with emergencies
“You’d have thought they were trained to deal with emergencies,” she said, adding the driver had struggled to communicate in English to a tourist at the airport who had asked how to buy a ticket.
“He even tried to drive off while the branch was still sticking through the window but couldn’t manage it,” said Okeijn, adding passengers had been “yelling at him to stop”.
Soon after, she decided to call a taxi with a group of tourists who had also been onboard.
While stressing she relied on the bus service and would continue to use it, Okeijn said the incident had made her feel less safe using the service. “It’s not every day a tree comes through the window,” she said.
Responding to questions, Malta Public Transport apologised “for the inconvenience caused by the incident” and said it was investigating the matter.
A spokesperson for the company said initial findings suggested the incident “may have been related to the road infrastructural design, specifically issues with bollards and overhanging trees”, which he said MPT had reported to authorities in January.
“The driver involved has been removed from service and the company will follow its standard disciplinary procedures. In the meantime, the driver will also undergo retraining,” he said.
“While we regret any inconvenience caused through lack of information provided to passengers, we are currently reviewing our communication processes to ensure better passenger information in the future.”
The spokesperson added that all drivers were required to demonstrate “basic English skills” when interviewing for a job at the company.