Work to double the capacity of the Valletta bus terminus will be completed by the end of September at a cost of €1.5 million, according to the Transport Ministry.

The project will consist of 14 new bus bays along St James Ditch to handle some 40 routes to be introduced by the end of the year.

Works include the embellishment of the area, including a canopy to offer shelter to commuters. The design also incorporates a new roundabout at the bottom of the ditch, replacing the building that housed the Grand Lottery. This building was demolished a few weeks ago.

The ministry said new bays were designed to improve safety for commuters, as vehicles will not be required to reverse since they will be parked parallel to the kerb. The circular movement enabled by the roundabout will also contribute to enhanced safety.

The work, which started a few days ago, is being carried out by Transport Malta in conjunction with the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation.

The plan for the ditch.

Following the completion of the project, there will be a second phase, which will involve a better connection from the bottom of the ditch to Castille Square.

However, a transport ministry spokeswoman pointed out that plans were still at the design stage and no development application had been submitted yet.

Last January, Spanish transport company Autobuses de Leon took charge of Malta Public Transport Services after Arriva decided to end its 10-year concession to run the bus service.

Contrary to its predecessor, the Spanish company has opted for a soft launch and its fully fledged service will be rolled out gradually to give enough breathing space to the company to increase the fleet of buses in due course.

Inaugurated in July 2011, the existing terminus was intentionally designed to cater for a smaller number of routes as part of a plan to spread out the network to a number of regional hubs.

However, following a loud public outcry, the government was forced to revert to the previous model.

As a result, a number of temporary bays, which are still in use, were added at the old terminus around the Triton Fountain and the Phoenicia Hotel.