Malta’s first bus map harks back to a time when buses sported colourful liveries and Valletta had two bus terminuses...and it throws into relief the dramatic increase in built-up areas over the last 50 years.

The undated bus map, possibly from 1955, was given to Malta Map Society committee member David Roderick Lyon by a British ranking serviceman who had lived in Malta for most of his life.

This first edition was published by ABC Stationers and Printers of South Street, Valletta, and sold for three shillings. Its designer and cartographer is given as George Bonett.

It was also used by the Malta Government Tourist Board for promotional purposes – the map was folded and annexed in a booklet with information to help tourists get around Malta.

Back then, there were two bus terminuses in Valletta: one located at Kingsgate (which is now called City Gate) and the other at Castille Square.

The map also gives the location of sandy beaches, public gardens, architectural churches and other places of historical interest worth visiting in Malta.

Kennedy Grove in Salina Bay is listed as a public garden, while Sunshine Bay, in the “Ċirkewwa Area” is in the list of sand beaches. Verdala Palace in the “Buskett Area” is also listed as one of the places of historical interest worth visiting. Society secretary Joseph Schirò explains that the map has two legends situated at the bottom left corner. One shows the motor bus routes and the different coloured buses which were characteristic of Maltese buses.

The undated bus map, possibly from 1955, was given to a Malta Map Society committee member by a British serviceman

The other indicates first and second class roads, country and cart tracks, developed areas (which were far fewer than what we see around us now), farmhouses and valleys with an Anglicised plural in Maltese given as wieds instead of widien, rocks, aerodromes and soundings in fathoms.

At the top right corner there is an inset map of the Mediterranean to indicate the island’s geographical position.

Among many lost features shown is the Poor House in Luqa, the civil government property which hosted air crews. It is now the St Vincent de Paul Residence.

Also marked on the map are the airfields at Ta’ Qali and Ħal Far. The old international Luqa Airfield is shown in its first site, today the offices of Air Malta.

The name of San Ġwann did not yet exist, with the village being known as ‘Msieraħ’. Malta began importing buses as early as 1905, but it was only in the 1920s that a national bus service was rolled out.

In 1931, the Traffic Control Board was formed to regulate the service as a national entity. In the beginning buses had a variety of colours: red, green, royal blue, yellow, orange, pale blue, white, blue and white and red and brown. The colour-coded town and village routes were to last until 1973.