Labour MP calls for free public transport

Labour MP Marlene Farrugia called for free public transport which she said is “a disaster and getting worse.”

Reacting to MaltaToday’s survey which showed that traffic is the top concern of the Maltese, Farrugia said “public transport in Malta should be punctual, efficient, adequately routed and FREE.”

Writing on her Facebook wall, she added that if public transport is funded by taxpayer money, this would translate into better air quality, increased hours of productivity “rather than biting our nails in traffic jams and sharp decrease in stress levels.”

The outspoken MP said that former operators Arriva “destroyed” the public’s faith in public transport and the current Spanish operators Autobuses de Leon “has so far failed to restore trust in the service in spite of subsidies and higher fares.”

Traffic had already emerged as Malta’s top concern in MaltaToday’s survey in November 2014, but the latest survey, carried out in August before the traffic chaos that will mark the re-opening of schools, suggests that problem has aggravated in the past months.

Rising concern on traffic may reflect the worsening gridlock situation on Maltese roads. But it could also reflect a lack of concern on other issues which dominated surveys in the past. Moreover, transport-related issues also feature in the list of concerns mentioned by respondents – a staggering 16% referred to the state of the roads, 7% referred to the state of public transport while 4% referred to parking.