Cars are king of the road with 84% of commuters using their private vehicle for daily trips

An NSO travel survey shows traffic peaks at 8am, when 70,000 people are out on the road with their car

Cars remain king of the road, with 84% of people in Malta using their cars for daily commutes and errands.

According to a study published by the National Statistics Office (NSO), private vehicles make up an overwhelming 84% of chosen travel modes, making cars the most popular mode of transport.

Additionally, 90% of households have access to at least one car, of which 28% own three or more cars.

7% of people choose to walk to their destinations, while 5.2% ride the bus.

The figures come from a National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), which was conducted last year for persons over 14 years old to better understand travel patterns and plan an effective transport network.

According to the survey, the most common purposes for traveling in Malta are for work (42%) and education (12%).

Birkirkara is the most popular destination for work, with 7% of people driving, walking, or catching the bus to the locality. Meanwhile, Msida is most popular when travelling for educational purposes, with the locality housing the University of Malta and Junior College.

Mosta was the most popular destination for daily shopping and personal trips.

The survey revolved around a specific Travel Day, which was Wednesday 17 November 2021.

Traffic peaked at 8am, with over 70,000 people out on the road with their private vehicle during this time. The post-work commute was less concentrated, spread out between 1pm and 8pm.

However, almost 55,000 people were teleworking that day, from which 39% were residing in the Northern Harbour district.