As expected, there was heavier traffic on the roads this morning as government schools re-opened and thousands of students returned to their classrooms after the summer holidays.

The new scholastic year is also the first real test of the newly-introduced free school transport system which has been made available to all schools, including those run privately and by the Church.

On Monday, when some private and Church schools re-opened their doors, there was a smooth implementation of the system.

Today, drivers on the road are reporting a heavier traffic flow, but this is not necessarily because of the opening of the schools. Most reports of traffic congestion are coming from areas where road works are taking place, such as the road between Gharghur and San Gwann and the Marsa area.