Malta's Vintage Leyland & Bedford Buses

Classic Leyland and Bedford Buses in Malta

It was while channel hopping on a rainy Sunday that I stopped on the Channel 4 series, Coach Trip. Yes, I freely admit it, but what had drawn me on this occasion was a bright yellow and orange vintage bus.

I'm a simple soul, and bright colours and sunshine win me over every time. This classic Leyland bus is a beautiful thing as I'm sure you will agree, so I thought I'd investigate further.

Malta buses are quite something, coming on like a cross between the grand, gas guzzling brightly coloured American cars you might still find in Cuba and a giant automobile museum piece, the shimmering chrome and the lurid livery are the stuff of small boy's dreams.

Classic Vehicle Manufacturers

The most modern of these old buses date from the 1970's and they are seemingly all sourced from classic British manufacturers like Bedford, Leyland and AEC. The charming nature of these vehicles is enhanced by the fact that they are all now apparently privately owned, and carry the mark of the owner inside through varying styles and some unique decoration. They kind of remind me of the sort of cabs for hire that you might see in Mexico.

Currently, there are around 500 of these brightly coloured motors on the island, and they proudly claim to reach every corner of Malta. Average trip lengths are around 20 to 30 miles, which is just as well, as some of these vintage buses date back to the 1950's.

How this all came to be is interesting. In the early 1930's the 385 operating buses were often overloaded with people and speeding was a problem naturally leading to poor safety.

To rectify this, the Traffic Control Board regulated the buses and the service became more reliable, and income increased as a result. Some of the increased income was spent on bus customisation and the internal makeovers that is so much of the tourist attraction that we see today.

But sadly, the end is nigh. In 2003 the government tested the water by launching an upgrade scheme importing new buses from China and scrapping some of the old buses.

This year Arriva – who won a government tender - are likely to take over the running of the Maltese bus service. They plan to update the existing fleet of these lovely old vintage tourist treats.

The chances are that by the time you read this, the only place you will be able to see these pieces of automotive history will be in a museum, for this month is likely to be where the service terminates - forever.

So if you’re inspired to track one down, I’m sure Performance Direct’s classic and vintage vehicle insurance might be a great place to begin your enquiries.

Malta clearly loves its single-decker buses – you can find them on postcards, in books and on posters. But sadly it seems, not for much longer on the streets.