Traffic on local roads is so bad that it is neutralising Malta Public Transport's investment in new buses, the company has said. 

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, MPT noted that bus commuter trips were up by 10 per cent during the first three months of the year when compared to a year ago, with 11.4 million passengers carried. 

Reliability was also up past 98 per cent for the first time since May 2017, the company added. 

But though public transport is carrying more passengers, they are taking longer to get to their destination.

Journey times have increased by 6 per cent this year, MPT said, with drivers struggling to keep up with bus schedules due to road conditions. 

"This translates to an additional requirement of 15 buses, meaning that the company's investment in new buses is being consumed by traffic," the company argued, saying longer journeys also meant the company had to hire more drivers. 

Drivers had to navigate 600 planned diversions between January and March - double the number during the first three months of 2017 - and construction machinery and illegally parked vehicles continued to hamper bus journeys, the company said. 

All these problems, the company said, were making it "increasingly stressful for drivers and passengers to get to their destination on time."