Data shows that the bus service is not as bad as many people make it out to be, although more investment needs to be made to increase the number of buses, Transport Minister Chris Bonett said in parliament on Monday.

In the year since the service was made free of charge, the number of user trips had risen by 17 million and a further increase was seen in the first quarter of this year.

The challenge, he said, was to increase the number of buses and the frequency of trips. The operator added 30 electric buses in November, with financial assistance by the government, while a further 30 buses were commissioned last month.

A total of 120 more electric buses would be introduced by the end of 2025, replacing older, polluting buses.

The minister said that given the population growth in the past few years, the time had come to review the routes, which were last revised in 2014.

Various other measures were being taken including an increase of maritime services, he said, and measures to improve perceptions on the bus service, of which people should be proud. 

The minister was replying to a question by Labour MP Randolph DeBattista.

He later told Grazziella Attard Previ (PN) in reply to a written question that there are 124 buses which are more than 10 years old, but none are more than 15 years old.