Public transport fleet increases by 33 new buses

Malta Public Transport launched its latest investment in public transport with 33 new Euro 6 buses that will entered into service today.

“We are seeing confidence in public transport growing steadily with more people travelling on our network compared to last year,” Felipe Cosmen, Chairman of Malta Public Transport, said.

“This is encouraging us to strengthen our investment in Malta even further, going beyond our contractual obligations. These new buses will continue to improve the experience of using Public Transport in Malta.”

The 33 new buses are fully air-conditioned, and accessible to all passengers thanks to their low floor structure. They are environmentally friendly with the latest Euro 6 technology, and they are equipped with a number of safety features.

While the 9-meter buses provided flexibility to manoeuvre through various Maltese roads, these new 12- meter buses are designed to carry more people and will be servicing the busiest routes. This compliments the recent increase in bus trips as part of the summer service.

“Our total investment so far in new buses, new technology, and in our people stands at €40 million. We are in a much better place than we were just 18 months ago. We are proud to say that Malta now has one of the youngest bus fleets in Europe, with an average age of just over three years, while the average in Europe is over nine years. Almost half of our fleet is now less than one year old, with Euro 6 engines. We are setting new standards for environmentally friendly transport and contributing to cleaner air.”

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi explained how Government took a step-by-step approach in improving public transport.

“We have adopted a step by step approach and I am convinced that we’re getting there. The results are there for all to see. Nowadays, people expect to get on a comfortable bus and get to their destination on time,” the Minister said.

According to Cosmen, the company increased the fleet from 260 buses to over 400 buses, and doubled the number of drivers to over 1,000 of which the majority are Maltese. The tallinja card system has been a success and the new tallinja APP lets customers check live running times from their smartphones, he added.

Cosmen thanked the passengers and the public in general for their support throughout this transition. “We have experienced an increase in passengers this year covering different customer segments. Public transport is having an impact on mobility. There has been a lot of progress and there will always be room for improvement. We really appreciated passenger’s feedback. But even with all this investment, and these positive results, our passengers are telling us that they want to get to their destination quicker.”