Malta Public Transport expects to have carried 48 million passengers by the end of this year - 12 per cent more than in 2016 - but general manager Konrad Pule has a dire warning: "Buses need to be given priority to carry all those people."

His argument - in favour of functioning bus lanes - comes with a clear justification: those people represent 45,000 fewer cars a day on the roads. And since 65 per cent of those passengers have acccess to a car, it is crucial for bus journeys to be as efficient as possible.

A Times of Malta online poll found that 46 per cent of passengers would use the buses more if there were fewer traffic delays, with Mr Pule noting that 95 per cent of buses leave on time. However, as a bus driver had told Times of Malta last July, around 20-30 minutes of every trip are wasted in traffic.