Public Transport in the Maltese Islands is regulated by the Malta Transport Authority which was established by Act 23 (2000). The principal function of the Authority is the provision of a properly integrated, safe, economical and efficient public transport system. The Authority, appointed by the Minister responsible for transport, consists of a Chairman and 4 other members.
Public transport includes the transportation of fare-paying passengers. It is made up of 2 sectors:
- the scheduled service, comprised of vehicles carrying passengers along pre-determined routes at set times
- the unscheduled service, comprised of vehicles which are largely unregulated in terms of routes and times
The scheduled service’s principal component is the 'scheduled bus service', commonly referred to as the 'route bus service'.
The main modes of transport within the unscheduled service are:
- coaches
- vintage buses
- minibuses
- taxies
- chauffeur-driven and self-drive vehicles
- karrozzini (horse-drawn cabs)
The route bus service plays a significant part in providing mobility within the Maltese Islands. In fact, route bus travel accounts for 24 per cent of all public and private transport journeys in Malta and Gozo. On average, around 38 to 40 million tickets are sold every year.
For fares related to public transport, please click here.