Malta’s Bus Routes Set For An Upgrade As €2 Million Added To Public Transport Budget
Bus routes across Malta are set to be updated in the near future, with €2 million having been added to the government’s public transport budget precisely for this aim.
The 2020 budget for Malta Public Transport has been set at €31.7 million, around €2 million higher than was spent in the two previous years. Transport Minister Ian Borg confirmed this is because his ministry and Transport Malta are in talks to improve the bus system, with some routes becoming more frequent and others being changed accordingly.
Borg revealed these plans when government whip Byron Camilleri urged him in Parliament to arrange the bus situation for his constituents in Fgura, who have complained that buses often pass by their stops completely or almost full up.
A model of the proposed new bus design
“Due to a lack of a bus station, Fgura is subject to positive challenges, which in the eyes of the residents are just challenges,” Borg said. “Many people are using the bus nowadays and the challenge is that buses are passing by bus stops full up. Transport Malta and I have recently entered into discussions with the Finance Ministry and proposed a number of changes, which will be split into two phases as they will cost millions of euro.”
“We must update the bus frequencies and routes so that they’re in line with the current challenges. After all, bus commuters don’t care about bus usage records, only that their bus has passed full up.”
The updates to the bus routes will not be held in tandem with a planned overhaul of the bus fleet into electric vehicles with designs harking back to the buses of the past. Although the Transport Ministry has endorsed Mizzi Studio’s designs, it is envisaging it as a project for the more distant future.
Do you use the bus? Which bus routes need to be improved?
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