Transport Minister Ian Borg insisted that the challenge facing the bus service was one of capacity, remarking that the biggest complaint was that boarding a bus in certain areas was turning out to be an ordeal.

“We need to address this issue while keeping in mind the entire route network and that there is an obligation to offer the service even in certain remote areas,” he said on Thursday.

Dr Borg was addressing the media during the inauguration of a new control room at the Malta Public Transport offices in Qormi. The facility offers real-team tracking of all buses across the entire network with the possibility to advise drivers on deviations and areas to avoid.

The transport minister noted that the bus service had experienced a rapid rise in patronage with a 30 per cent rise since 2014. At present the number of passengers carried per year was about 50 million, he added

“By far the biggest complaint I receive is not about punctuality but that buses are full up,” he said. While noting that this was testament to the success of the service, he said the government would not rest on its laurels but seek to address this issue.

Read: “Full up!” - Dozens left waiting on Strand as packed buses sail by

Meanwhile, efforts were being made to create more bus lanes in order to lure more people use the service improve efficiency, the minister said.

Autobus de Leon chairman Felipe Cosmen, which is the Spanish company managing MPT, noted that the new control room which cost €0.5 million would serve to keep all of its 400 buses under constant watch. He noted that road deviations were an issue, with an average of 60 per week. The company also recently said that the number of bus card holders had reached 300,000.