Self-Driving Bus Carrying Up To 15 Passengers To Be Tested Across Malta And Gozo

An autonomous electric shuttle has officially arrived in Malta as part of a new pilot project aimed at testing the future of smart and self-driving public transport across Malta and Gozo.

The autonomous bus, which can carry up to 15 passengers, will undergo a structured testing phase lasting at least six months on carefully selected and pre-approved routes. Initially, the shuttle will operate through controlled trials before eventually being opened for public use. A trained safety operator will remain onboard at all times during testing and will be able to immediately take control whenever necessary.

The project is being carried out through a collaboration between the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, Malta Public Transport and the University of Malta under the EU co-financed Horizon Europe project metaCCAZE, which is exploring autonomous and sustainable mobility solutions across several European cities including Amsterdam and Tampere.

The announcement formed part of a wider €14 million investment into public transport under the Government’s “Malta in Motion” plan. Through the investment, Malta Public Transport will also introduce 40 new electric buses to its fleet, more than doubling the company’s electric vehicles over time while continuing efforts towards a fully electric public transport fleet in Gozo.

Transport Minister Chris Bonett described the investment as another concrete step towards cleaner, more modern and sustainable mobility in Malta, while additional bus routes, route extensions and increased service frequencies are also expected to come into effect from next week.

#MaltaDaily