A  car sharing service meant to alleviate traffic congestion will be unveiled in the third quarter of next year, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi announced today.

He said that the public would be given the opportunity to book cars and use them in a specified time bracket, while profiting from a number of reserved parking spaces in strategic locations. He did not give details.

Mr Mizzi unveiled this plan when addressing a conference on electro-mobility. He said this measure was part of a package of short-term measures to ease traffic and improve air quality. Some measures, he said, had already been announced in the Budget.

Other measures would include improved ferry services around the capital and 43 charging stations for electric bicycles.

The transport minister said that traffic congestion needed to be addressed by a mix of measures and policies and not just sporadic initiatives. In this respect he said that commuters should make use of various means of transport in order to expect an improvement in traffic.