PD calls on Ian Borg to outline plans for public transport

Marlene Farrugia’s Democratic Party has called on transport minister Ian Borg to explain how he intends to improve public transport and better meet the needs of those who rely on the service.

In a statement issued today, the party asked whether minister was planning any novel ways to tackle existing shortcomings in the service.

Various users have recently angrily reported that they sometimes had “to wait for long periods under the scorching sun before a bus appears” and that “arriving late to work and other appointments due to the unreliability of the transport system has become the order of the day.”

A recent Eurostat study, ‘Passenger Cars in the EU’, classifies Malta as the second highest country with cars per inhabitant in the EU, with 634 passenger cars per 1,000 people. These results are often quoted to show how many people choose to use their own vehicles over public transport.

Earlier in the year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addressed the need for the country to improve the roads system in order to improve bus flow, and therefore reducing commuting time.

Borg has stated that major changes need to be done in order to improve the public transport operation system.

He recently announced imminent extensive changes in some of the major main roads including Birkirkara Road in Attard, Bontadini Street in Birkirkara and part of the Roman Villa site in Rabat.

PD demanded that an independent study be carried out to identify consumer rights and present a better service that meets the needs of all.

“The tax payer is effectively forking out more money in subsidies, the party said. “The Maltese tax payer has paid €29M in 2014, €23M in 2015 and last year it was €27 million.”