10/07/2020
Malta Public Transport added 50 new buses to its fleet at an investment of €11 million. The brand new vehicles will replace older buses with more efficient models that will increase carrying capacity across the network while further decreasing the carbon footprint of public transport.
The phasing out of older models means that three in every four buses on the roads are now less than five years old. Indeed, at an average age of four years, the public transport fleet in Malta is significantly younger than the most European systems, which register an average age of 11.4 years between them.
Malta Public Transport Chairman Felipe Cosmen described the introduction of the new vehicles is an investment in the economy and sustainability of the country. “We are very proud of our success in Malta,” said Mr Cosmen, “Our public transport service has continuously improved in quality and standard, receiving similar customer ratings to our operations in other European countries.”
The chairman said that public transport use is picking up again following the coronavirus outbreak and announced that usage is reaching 100,000 individual trips per day in July.
The launch of the new buses was attended by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Transport Minister Ian Borg.
In his address, the Prime Minister said that public transport made a leap of quality in recent years thanks to constant investment in new and modern buses equipped with the latest facilities. He added that the trust of people in the public transport system has been restored.
Minister Borg praised the investment by Malta Public Transport which is making the bus fleet in Malta among the greenest and newest. He said that the government is committed to keep encouraging the use of public transport.
During the inauguration, Mr Cosmen also revealed that the company has started operating a public transport service in Cyprus: “Thanks to our success in Malta we just launched a similar bus service in Cyprus, which started to operate last weekend. We have managed to export the successful public transport model from Malta to another European country.”
In the past five years, Malta Public Transport has invested over €50 million in new buses, adding more than 300 higher modern vehicles that improve the customer experience with better safety and ecological standards.
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