[WATCH] Student council launches €10,000 alternative transport scheme

KSU launch alternative transport scheme for students. Video: Ray Attard

The government, through Public Transport Malta, has allocated €10,000 to the University Students Council (KSU) for a scheme intended to encourage university students to use alternative means of transport to cars.

Through this scheme, students will be able to apply for a 50% discount on 90-day bus tickets, therefore with a minimum price of 33c a day, and receive financial benefits when buying or renting bicycles. A car pooling application has also been launched on KSU's website. KSU will also use these funds to encourage students to walk to university.

"Although many students think the parking problem at university can only be solved by increasing the amount of car parks on campus, we think it can be solved if students start making use of alternative means of transport," KSU president Gayle Lynn Callus said. 

The student council cited survey statistics that show that only 37% of the University's 13,000 students make use of public transport, that 63% of students have problems with public transport punctuality and that 49% of students have problems with public transport frequency.

Callus also called on the government to consult with KSU on bus routes under the upcoming new bus operator and said that a national conference on transport and accessibility should be held.