A Discovery Bus service, which was introduced in Gozo for a trial period of three weeks as part of Interreg programmes, is proving to be popular with tourists. The aim of the project, which is an EU-funded programme that helps Europe's regions form partnerships to work together on common projects, is to create a standard for sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean.

Project manager Maryrose Vella said the purpose of the service, which has long been debated by the Gozo Tourism Association, is to enable tourists to visit sites of major interest in Gozo that cannot easily be reached by public transport.

The service, in the form of a hop-on hop-off system, is free of charge during this trial period, but it is being proposed that in the future it will operate at a modest fee.

The buses leave Victoria from Sabina Square every two hours at 9.30 a.m. with the last trip leaving at 5.30 p.m. Commuters can stop at any destination. There is a short stay at each destination where tourists can just go down and take pictures. The trial period ends on Wednesday.

The other participating countries in the project are Italy, Cyprus, and Greece.