€3.3 million is to be invested in the BUS20+ campaign, which is the free transport initiative for youths aged from 14-20 and all full time students who are 21 or older, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg announced.
Speaking at the launch at Santa Margherita College at Cospicua this morning, Borg said that the campaign is a financial benefit not only for youths but also to their families; allowing parents to refrain from using their private vehicles during hours when there is great volumes of traffic on the roads.
He said that the initiative began in 2017, when free public transport was given to 18-year-olds with an investment of €25,000, benefitting more than 4,000 youths who made nearly 600,000 trips. Last year, the scheme was extended to youths aged 16 to 20 years old, with an investment of €2.2 million and over 24,000 youths benefitting from the free public transport scheme. He pointed out that in 2018, there were over 53 million passenger trips when compared to 34 million passenger trips in 2012.
A long term vision and plan towards improving the quality of life for Maltese and Gozitan people
Borg highlighted that the government is working hard towards the free public transport initiative, ‘a full commitment towards a necessary transport culture shift, a determination to have sager roads which are free of congestion.
The Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo stressed that while in the non-public sector transport for Church and Independent schools was never under the Ministry’s responsibility, the Ministry still continued with its commitment to see that those students who struggle to obtain transport come to a situation where they do.
He said that 14,500 students attending State schools currently use the transport service, whilst another 13,500 students from non-State Schools also make use of the service, therefore amounting to a total of 28,000 students. He also highlighted that 275 students attending non-State schools remain without this service, and whilst the figure continues to decrease, he will continue working to find transport for every student.
A shift in mentality towards public transport
Parliamentary Secretary for Youths, Sports and Voluntary Organisations Clifton Grima stressed that youths should form part of the necessary change in Malta’s public transport culture. That the Government is introducing the mentality for increased use of public transport, so that families and youths will save on transport costs with the additional aim of reducing traffic on the roads. ‘We need to work hand in hand to continue making our country better, for us and for future generations.’