People welcome free public transport

The bus service is free between today and Monday, a move which Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett said this morning had been welcomed by commuters.

He told a press conference that this unprecedented measure had been taken to reduce road congestion in the run-up to Christmas and also to encourage more people to start using the buses.

He said the number of commuters has been rising by as much as 8 percent since last year, reducing the need for a government subsidy for the service by Lm500,000. Various factors contributed to this improvement, including new routes and increased tourism, he said.

Victor Vella, chairman of the Public Transport Association, said he hoped the free service would also lead more people to appreciate the work done by bus drivers.

Buses on all routes are free of charge between 5.30 a.m. and 10.30 p.m. until Monday evening.

The buses operate some 4,300 trips every day.

Mr Mugliett said 43,000 people had made use of public transport to Paceville at reduced rates last weekend. The fare was only 10c. The new Park and Ride facility from Pembroke was also well received. The facility will continue up to January 6.

Mr Vella said it was too early to calculate whether the free service had led to an increase in passenger numbers this morning because the bad weather had kept many people away. But the people who did use the buses knew of the free service and had gone straight to their seats without waiting to pay.