When we look back at earlier years, Malta’s transportation system has gone through major advancements. These developments have been done with the main aim of becoming more efficient & dependable.
However, like any other transportation system, it can run into issues & draw criticism from the general public. These problems end up overshadowing the changes & making people not want to use public transport.
So let’s discuss where our current public transport succeeds & where it can improve.
Route Coverage: The wide range of routes across the Maltese Islands means people can travel to almost every part of Malta & Gozo.
Early, Late, & Night Routes: Most buses start as early as 05:30am & stop running as late as 11:00pm. After that, people can travel to St Julian’s using the N13 Night Route, which runs till 01:30am on weekdays & 02:10am during weekends.
Free Tallinja Service: Since October 2022, all Tallinja card holders have benefitted from free bus services across the Maltese Islands. At any given time, people can travel for free.
Unreliable: Common complaints of delays & unpredictable schedules, as many travellers struggle to arrive at their destinations on time.
Overcrowded: Bus crowding during rush hours & busy tourist times can make travelling challenging & sometimes even unsafe.
Technical Issues: Some buses need repairs, replacements or modifications because of frequent issues like AC Water dripping onto the seats & faulty doors.
Bus Stop Shelters: The lack of seating & shelter at some stops decreases accessibility.
Route Analysis: Analyse routes at the start of summer & winter periods so that they can be revised & changed. Example, if a route at a specific time is every 30 minutes & it’s always full, then it could be reduced to 20 minutes.
Ferry Services: Encouraging people to use the ferry services for the 3 cities & Sliema-Valletta can reduce the amount of cars on the road to travel to these locations.
Infrastructure For Cycling: The local community has been pleading for proper investment in a safer & larger infrastructure for riding, which would encourage cycling as an alternative.
The public transportation network needs to be enhanced & expanded so it can offer a practical & dependable alternative to private vehicles.
Malta has 1,500 cars for every 1,000 drivers (NSO). When we rely on only 1 mode of transportation, it ends up being overused & overwhelmed. So we need to invest in alternative modes of transportation.
Encouraging the use of ride-sharing services & carpooling will cut down on the number of individual vehicles on the road. The less vehicles on the road, the less traffic there will be, especially during rush hours.
