A bus built to shuttle Royal Navy personnel, and eventually rebuilt as a Maltese route bus for Birkirkara commuters, has returned to her home country after becoming somewhat of a celebrity when it took part in the UK’s 2012 Olympic Games torch relay.

Following its short UK stint, MHY 011 nowadays shuttles sightseers and newlyweds across the island.

Its previous life – a long career with the public transport sector – ended exactly 10 years ago when, in July 2011, the bulky, dark teal Arriva buses took over Maltese roads.

MHY011 in Olympic Games condition in the UK in 2012. Photo: Mick Mitchell. Slide to see the bus in the old Birkirkara livery

When the bus returned to Malta (left) it was completely rebuilt to being a period route bus in the red and white livery that had been used on the Birkirkara route up until 1973. Photo: Richard Stedall

Back then the fear was that the old buses – and their history spanning over a century – would be gone for good.

Individual enthusiasts soon scrambled to document the history of local buses but there was no concerted national effort to do so.

Then in 2018 Richard Stedall launched the Malta Bus Archive which has now been adopted by the National Archives and will feature in an online depository that will be launched later this year.

Aptly called Memorja, the website will form an oral, sound and visual archive and a main repository of Maltese national and public memories. 

It will host hundreds of recollections dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, with footage of interviewees talking about various subjects, from shipbuilding to migration and World War II events to herbal medicine.

The team behind the Malta Bus Archive, led by Stedall, is recording everything to do with the bus industry, from the very first demonstrator bus, which arrived in Malta in December 1904, through to what is happening in the transport system today.

Photo taken at the Bugibba bus terminus on July 5 in 2011 by Richard Stedall

But the archive is not just about the vehicles.

“We are also looking to build records about the people involved in the sector – the owners, drivers, conductors, dispatchers, builders, maintainers, law enforcement officers and even the views of commuters,” Stedall said.

“With the coronavirus restrictions now easing, we are looking to resume our engagement, getting out and talking to people, either those who worked (or still work) in the transport industry or descendants of those who used to work with buses but are, sadly, no longer with us,” he added.

Stedall urged people to look through family albums for photos of buses (even if just in the background), pictures of people involved in the sector, copies of old documents or any other items connected to buses.

“People can retain the originals and we can digitally copy their items. However, those looking for a permanent home can formally donate their material to the Memorja project so that it can be accessed by future generations,” Stedall said.

More information can be obtained by writing to maltabusarchive@gmail. com and by looking up Malta Bus Archive on Facebook or Youtube.

Those interested in the Memorja project can also register online on www.memorja.com ahead of the launch of the website.

A line-up of yellow Żebbuġ route buses off the City Gate bus terminus in 1964. Photo: Geoffrey Morant

Back in use

When the old buses came off the road exactly 10 years ago, they were not all sent for scrap.

Some of the bus owners decided to keep their old vehicles, even though it meant receiving a lower compensation from the government, while other classic Maltese-built buses were saved by Heritage Malta. 

Over the past decade, a number of these old buses were rebuilt and restored, mostly into the old route liveries that they carried before 1973.

Some joined private classic car collections and others were allowed to return to service for use on tourist routes or other hires mainly operated by two consortia of owners – the Malta Bus Coop and the Vintage Bus City Tour.

Parked off Mellieha Bay, this Bedford was built on the extended chassis of a truck purchased from the Royal Navy in 1947. This bus sadly ended on its roof on the rocks in Sliema in the late 1970s. Photo: Photos Geoffrey Morant

The old colours 

Between 1931 and 1973 there were around a dozen different village/town routes (some, like Sliema, had variations) and each particular route had its own livery.

In 1973, the government merged everything into three groups with just three of the old liveries. This lasted until 1975 when all the buses turned green.

One of the then last surviving Ford V8s that was added to Joseph Gasan’s BMC fleet at the end of World War II. It was assembled in BMC’s Gżira workshop and ran on Sliema routes until 1973. Photo: Geoffrey Morant