The Marsa junction park-and-ride is open to commuters, Transport Minister Ian Borg said on Thursday, highlighting that he would like more people to use it.

Borg paid a visit to the Marsa junction, where he explained that 30 bus voyages per hour in each direction take place, servicing a total of 70 routes. The Marsa junction project included the creation of 380 parking spaces which can be used for the park and ride service and by people who work in the area. The project was required to have 200 spaces for the park-and-ride service so the over provision will ensure that this is the case, he said.

"We are urging the public to make use of this service. Parking here is free... We need a change in culture. the infrastructure is there, the operator's service is there, what is left is for there to be a change in culture where, when travelling to Valletta, people realise that they do not need to travel all the way there by private car and spend 45 minutes looking for parking." 

He said that public transport is being offered for free to many people, including all students, elderly people older than 70 and people with disability. 

Referring to public transport in general, he said that prior to the pandemic there were records made of people using public transport. 

The government is always doing what it can to make public transport more attractive, by making it free for sections of society for instance.

"We are also working to make the public transport fleet electric and talks are ongoing with the European Commission and the operator, as in the past when the contract between the public transport operator and the government was signed, nobody was thinking about electric public transport. We do not want to wait for the concession to end and then start thinking about it."