Public transport is unreliable and people cannot be blamed for shunning it because it is not an efficient alternative to cars, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia admits.

More buses will be added to the fleet soon and routes will be revised to add frequency and convenience, Farrugia says.

But the real challenge is to find ways to have buses flow freely through the streets without getting stuck in traffic, Farrugia notes, adding his ministry is looking into adding more bus lanes.

“In the beginning we can start slow, just on Sundays, for instance, and see how it goes.”

The minister tells Times of Malta that he intended to present the bus lane idea to the public and gather feedback and said he did not want to force it through. 

"I would like dialogue," he says. 

Farrugia believes that making bus trips free of charge has worked, with bus users surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. It is now a far better service than that offered by its predecessor, Arriva, but still not enough for the Maltese to use it, he acknowledges. 

Buses were made free to ride for all residents holding a Tallinja card as of January 1, and statistics suggest an increasing number of people are using them. 

However, surveys clearly show that many people remain reluctant to do so, citing concerns about reliability as a major problem. A survey published this week by the Association for Consumer Rights found that close to 70 per cent said they are not more willing to use the bus service now that it has been made free of charge.  

Over 90 per cent said they favoured having more express minibuses with quick trips to a specific destination - but half also said that they would only use this service if these are punctual and reliable.  

In the interview, the Transport Minister lays out his plans to reduce traffic and address the rising number of road accidents.

One of his key ideas is to find ways of spreading out the roughly 70,000 vehicles that are on Malta's roads each morning during peak hours, by doing things like shifting delivery trips to earlier hours or spreading hospital appointments across a longer stretch of time.

If we could stagger services throughout the morning, late at night or before dawn, we can flatten the spike of vehicles that cause a gridlock during rush hour,” he says.  

Farrugia also speaks about the killing of Pelin Kaya, who was mowed down by a car in Gżira on Wednesday, about corruption claims at Transport Malta, his infamous comment on village feasts causing traffic and his future in politics.

Watch the full interview on Monday, or read it in The Sunday Times of Malta print edition.