The long queues of people waiting for a bus in Qawra yesterday, coupled with the fact that they were unsheltered from the sun, is completely unacceptable, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said.

The MHRA expressed its concern over complaints lodged by tourists staying in the Qawra area on the delays they were experiencing in bus services.

"Those living and staying in Qawra have already been suffering inconvenience arising from the unnecessary delay in completing the refurbishing of the bus terminus, during which buses were allowed to block the only access road to the seafront indiscriminately.

"Residents and tourists alike now have to deal with an insufficient public transport service, and often have to wait for long periods of time without any form of shelter."

The MHRA called on the authorities to resolve this issue immediately so that a repeat of such a situation would not occur until Arriva takes over the public transport service in July.

"Situations such as these can cause irreparable damage to Malta's image," the MHRA said.