Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg visited the eCabs offices in Paceville.
During the said visit, the minister made reference to the visit he paid to the Transport Malta and Malta Road Safety Council stand yesterday morning where he spoke about the responsibility we all have when making use of our roads. He also spoke about the several transport alternatives available today and said that it is important to consider them more frequently, even more so should one plan on consuming alcohol.
The minister commended the investment being made by the company, both in terms of infrastructure, as well as in terms of human resources and technology – all elements which need to work concurrently. He noted that the fact that this company, which employs a considerable number of people, has decided to invest heavily in ways to reach the public, and also focus on how to improve the service, pairs with the government’s objective to continue promoting the use of alternative means of transport. He said that he is pleased to have been informed of the 20% increase in service usage between 2017 and 2018 – positive figures which mean that people are increasingly acknowledging the existing alternatives to their private vehicles.
“This is the culture change we are working to promote so that people can take up the habit of not always using their private cars and not necessarily using the same means of transport to arrive and return. Today, we have several alternatives – public transport, which is constantly improving and being incentivised, an efficient ferry service we will be extending to more localities, sharing services such as bicycles, electric cars and scooters, as well as various services provided by taxis, chauffeur-driven cars and vans”, said the minister.
Minister Borg went on to make reference to the investment being made by the government to improve the level of our country’s road infrastructure, which needs to continue in order to help overcome the challenges of traffic and congestion – infrastructure which needs to be safer and more efficient.
“It is evident that infrastructural projects are having a concrete impact on traffic, with waiting times in certain areas already starting to decline. However, there is much more to be done and we remain committed to see that infrastructure is high in quality and reaches adequate standards. Our goals are several, but the quality of life of the people is our highest priority”, said Minister Borg. He concluded by wishing everyone a good festive season and by once again reminding everyone that this year we should make road safety our first priority.