Partit Momentum Proposes Funds For A ‘Shared Cab Initiative’ Ahead Of Budget

Momentum is calling on the government to allocate funds in Budget 2027 for a subsidised shared cab initiative, arguing that immediate transport solutions should take priority over large-scale projects that could take decades to deliver.

The proposal would introduce a government-backed platform allowing passengers travelling along similar routes to share cabs at reduced fares, with prices kept low during peak hours. The scheme would target 60 million passenger trips annually, with young people aged 15 to 24 and adults aged 65 and over paying a flat fare of €2.

Momentum estimates that the €234 million subsidy would be offset by €50 million in time savings, €42 million in fuel savings and €220 million in reduced spending on imported vehicles, resulting in a net national benefit of €78 million annually.

Momentum General Secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin said the initiative could be piloted within months using existing infrastructure, without requiring major capital investment.

The party also proposed investing €150 million in 300 new buses operating on high-frequency direct routes, €100 million to upgrade 2,000 bus stops, €100 million to improve pavements, €20 million to expand bus lanes and €2.1 million for accurate, real-time public transport information.

“Every day, people across Malta and Gozo lose hours of their lives stuck in traffic. Frequent bus users know how overcrowded the network gets, especially at the country’s main interchanges,” Camilleri Gambin said.

He argued that traffic congestion required immediate action rather than waiting decades for a potential metro system, adding that Malta already had the roads, cabs and technology needed to begin implementing the proposal.

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