76% of post-secondary & tertiary students travel by bus

Mar 30 2023

According to a new study completed by Malta Public Transport, it was found that 76% of students currently use public transport buses as their main mode of transport to travel to educational institutions.

The study, carried out during February and March 2023, took into account travel patterns of over 2,000 post-secondary and tertiary students from various educational institutions. 26% were from the University of Malta, 21% from Junior College and 29% from MCAST.

The study also revealed that 65% of students claimed that they have used the bus daily in the past six months. 91% of students reported to be willing to walk an additional 5 minutes to get to a bus stop that serves a direct and faster route.

90% of students would use public transport more if journey times are reduced by 25% whereas 87% of students consider a bus service with a frequency of 15 minutes to be efficient.

‘This clearly indicates that the demand for public transport will increase if buses are more frequent and take less time to arrive at their destination’ the study reported.

Building on the success of the student survey and as part of its ongoing strategy to update the current public transport network, Malta Public Transport is now calling on all members of the public to take part in a new mobility survey. The survey aims to gather information on travel patterns in the Maltese Islands to understand travel requirements in order to improve the current bus route network, in collaboration with Government and other stakeholders.

Malta Public Transport hopes that the current survey available to all members of the public will yield more valuable insights into travel needs and preferences so that the bus route network can be updated into one that meets the current and future needs of the population.

To participate in the Malta Public Transport survey, click here.

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Pope Francis hospitalised due to pulmonary infection

Mar 30 2023

Pope Francis has been hospitalised to receive treatment for a pulmonary infection, the Vatican revealed.

The 86-year-old Catholic Church leader had breathing difficulties and will thus have to spend a few days in a hospital in Rome. A statement however confirmed that the Pope does not have COVID-19 and that he would need ‘a few days of appropriate hospital medical therapy.’

This comes during a very busy time for the Pope as many events are scheduled for Easter weekend coming up ahead. BBC was informed that his closest staff are expected to stay the night at the Gemelli Hospital.

“Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” a statement added.

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Xagħra mayor suggests odd-even car plate traffic solution

Mar 29 2023

Taking to social media, Xagħra mayor Christian Zammit attempted to address the issue of heavy traffic polluting the Maltese islands.

Zammit proposed that cars with number plates ending with even numbers are allowed to go out on certain days and other days are reserved for those with odd numbers.

Zammit acknowledged that this is a drastic measure which, he argues, the island desperately needs. The exception to such a rule would be mini/buses, emergency vehicles, taxis and electric cars.

‘This would push more people to use free alternative transport more often’ as the number of vehicles would be decreased off from the street, he suggested.

The suggestion was met with mixed reactions, however a majority seemed to find loopholes in the idea: some suggested that an alternative would be to buy two cars with both even and odd ending number plates.

Others however commented saying that Zammit was at least trying to offer an alternative to transport and that his idea only needed some tweaking to work. Others agreed wholeheartedly.

What do you think of this proposal?

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Over 100 routes as Malta Airport launches summer schedule

Mar 29 2023

The Malta International Airport has launched its flight schedule for summer 2023, spoiling holidaymakers to a choice of more than 100 routes in 32 countries.

A brand new route will be opened between the Maltese islands and the Bavarian town of Memmingen to be operated by Ryanair on a biweekly basis to strengthen connection with Germany.

Meanwhile, the return of Eurowings with flights to Hamburg and Dusseldorf following a five year-absence was announced. The resumption of weekly flights to the Black Forest town of Baden-Baden and its therapeutic hot springs was also announced.

‘A holiday on the French Riviera will be easier to plan this summer as Air Malta will operate flights to Nice every Monday and Friday throughout the season’ the airport revealed in a statement.

And just a short distance away from the seaport city are Antibes and Cannes as well as Saint-Tropez.

‘Nice is just one of Malta International Airport’s connections with France, with other connections including up to six daily flights to Paris, biweekly flights to the wine capital Bordeaux in the south-west of the country, and two weekly flights to the north-western city of Nantes.’

The airport’s top market, Italy, remains the most well connected for the season, with a route network connecting Bergamo, Milan, Bari, Naples and Sicily.

The flight schedule also includes Scandinavia through flights to Denmark, Norway and Sweden as well as the Middle East through Israel and Dubai. Find out the full schedule here.

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