Public buses are easily some of the most eco-friendly means of transport one can make use of day-in-day-out.

Having said that, it seems like Malta’s authorities are set on taking this notion a step further, as two fully electric, zero emission buses have just been added to the country’s public transport fleet.

This was revealed by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia and Malta Public Transport (MPT) Chairman Felipe Cosmen earlier today.

A total of €1 million was invested into these buses, which will be operating on public transport routes around Malta.

“Transport plays a vital role in our society and our economy; our quality of life depends on an efficient and accessible transport system. It also leaves a significant impact on our environment and, with an increasing demand for greener transport services, we need to ensure that our national transport system is well equipped to address these challenges,” Minister Farrugia said.

“Our current bus fleet is mostly made up of the latest environmentally-friendly buses, but it is now time to shift to the next level to electrically powered buses. Today’s investment is only the start of the decarbonisation plan and will be further complemented by the free public transport scheme which will be introduced on the 1st of October of this year, where public transport will be free for all Tallinja cardholders,” he continued.

Since the start of its operations in 2015, Malta Public Transport has overhauled the existing fleet with more than 300 brand new buses fitted with the latest Euro 6 engines, making it among the youngest and cleanest public transport fleets in Europe.