If you haven’t heard by now, Maltese architect Jonathan Mizzi has proposed a stunning design for the local bus fleet that is at once both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

Mizzi’s plans have already been endorsed by the Transport Minister, Malta Public Transport and Transport Malta, and have received international attention – with the like of Forbes and Wallpaper writing about it.

These are some of the main features of the proposed buses:

• They will be multi-coloured, just as they were several decades ago when the colour of the bus represented a particular destination.

• They will be electric and emission-free, in line with EU and Maltese government plans to shift towards less polluting vehicles in the near future.

• The traditional hand-painting line patterns and lettering (tberfil) that had characterised the old buses will return, but this time through LED technology that will allow drivers to customise their own vehicles.

• They will be equipped with state-of-the-art air-conditioning and cooling systems, the lack of which was a major shortcoming of the old buses.

• They will be adorned with traditional symbols, such as angel wings to symbolise victory and flight, an abstract Maltese cross to symbolise national pride and horseshoe badges to ward off evil spirits.

• They will be fully accessible, with middle doors to avoid long queues and low floors and ramps to ensure full accessibility for people in wheelchairs.

So what do you think of these designs?

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]