Malta Public Transport will be implementing new routes and changing several others from Sunday.

The service will include localities that were not served before with buses now  covering 2.5 million kilometres more each year, Transport Malta said in a statement. 

Mater Dei Hospital and University will have dedicated routes, 12 of which were extended to serve St Luke's Hospital.

Nineteen new routes will be introduced while more than 30 routes will be changed. Changes include extensions to new areas, as well as trimming so the buses reach their destination faster and increased frequencies.

The bus interchange for Mater Dei routes will be at University. Commuters from Mater Dei Hospital can board any bus that will take them to University. There they can board another bus to reach their destination. The new arrangement was designed to reduce accidents and traffic congestion in front of Mater Dei, Transport Malta said.

The changes are being introduced during the Christmas period, where traditionally less commuters use public transport, to allow time for bus users to find their way through the new routes. During this period, buses operate on a seasonal schedule.

A number of routes will be changed extensively. Booklets are being sent to all households to determine whether their routes will be affected. 

The new routes will be implemented as part of a major route network overhaul.

The overhaul was designed by Transport Malta following a consultation period during which over 3,500 proposals were considered. Local councils were actively involved in designing the new routes.

Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry said they will convene a new consultation period where the new routes will be fine tuned.