Barrakka Lift, Public Transport and Floriana Park & Ride Special Services for New Year’s eve

During the New Year festivities, the following special services will be provided:

Barrakka Lift service

Wednesday 31st December 2014 service will be extended to 04:00hrs of Thursday 01st January

Use of lift will be free of charge from 17:00hrs onwards on this occasion.

 

Public Transport

A special night public transport service shall be provided on New Year’s Eve from Valletta to various localities up to 02:30hrs of Thursday 1st January 2015.

Tickets for the night service will be available for €3 from all Malta Public Transport ticket booths or may be purchased on-board from the driver. The ticket includes unlimited use of the daytime bus service throughout the day on December 31 and the trip from Valletta after the celebrations.

The general public is encouraged to use the public transport service especially when attending for these celebrations.

 

Floriana Park & Ride

On New Year’s Eve the Floriana Park and Ride service will also be extended to 02:30hrs of the 1st January 2015.

Psaila Street Birkirkara temporarily closed this weekend (13th December) for St. Joseph Road Race

Part of Triq Psaila direction to Birkirkara will be closed for vehicular traffic on Saturday 13th December 2014 between 08:00hrs and 11:00hrs due to the racing event being organised by the Birkirkara St Joseph Sport Club.

Public transport will be diverted onto Triq Mannarino and onto Triq Wignacourt.

Motorists are advised to proceed with caution.

Any inconvenience is regretted.

Milied fil-Pjazza at Għargħur

The Gharghur Local Council will be organizing the annual event Milied fil-Pjazza on Sunday 14th December.

In connection with this event, part of Triq San Bartilmew, Triq l-Oratorju, Triq Karmnu Zarb and Misrah il-Knisja will be closed for traffic as from 09:00 to 14:00.

More details on the actual event on Gharghur Local Council’s website.

Scrappage Scheme

Transport Malta Receiving Applications for the New Grant Scheme on the Purchase of New Environment-Friendly Vehicles as from 1st December 2014.

As announced in the Budget 2015 speech, Transport Malta, in conjunction with the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure, has launched another grant scheme to incentive the purchase of new category M1 motor vehicles (passenger cars).

This scheme is aimed at reducing the number of old motor vehicles from the road and thus reducing pollution. Subject to various conditions, the grant that varies between €700 and €900, shall be given upon the purchase of a new motor vehicle M1 that qualifies for the grant scheme whilst at the same time de-registering a vehicle in the same category.

The Government has allocated €500,000 for this scheme. Applications will be handled on a first come first served basis.

Applications for such scheme are available from the Vehicle Licensing Unit, Hornsworks Ditch, Floriana (map) or downloaded from these links (Maltese, English).

In the coming days, Transport Malta will also launch the other schemes announced during the Budget 2015 speech, namely the Conversion of Vehicles to run with Autogas and the Purchase of Electric Vehicles.

Further technical details are available in this pdf.

Parking Space Reopened – Deep Water Quay

As from this evening, the public car park at Deep Water Quay, Xatt l-Għassara tal-Għeneb in Marsa (near the Valletta Waterfront) shall be re-opened to the public in time for the festive season. The car park will provide 115 car spaces. Works will resume after the festive season.

The car park is located on Deep Water Quay, a quay that is currently undergoing a general refurbishment and upgrading, part funded by the EU through cohesion funds 2007-13.  This area had to be closed so that the necessary structural interventions to the quay were carried out. The car park area, which serves to anchor the quay to the land, was in a deteriorated state due to heavy corrosion of the underlying steel structure supporting the deck.

Works at the car park commenced in April 2014 and included the refurbishment and replacement of steel structures, earthworks to consolidate the quay, storm water drainage system, new concrete deck overlaid with asphalt and security fencing.  The car park will also provide a solar electrical car charging facility, which is still under construction as part of another EU funded project.

 

Naxxar Roads temporarily closed

Due to the annual Christmas event being organized by The Naxxar Local Council, the following roads will be closed:

Saturday 6th December from 06:00hrs onwards

·     part of Triq il-Labour (from Triq il-Ġdida to Vjal 21 ta’ Settembru)

Sunday 7th December from 06:00hrs onwards

·     part of Triq il-Labour (from Triq il-Ġdida up to Triq il-Parroċċa c/w Triq L-Oratorju)

·     part of Vjal il-21 ta’ Settembru (from Triq Hal Dgħejf up to Vjal il-Labour)

·     Pjazza Toni Bajada, Pjazza Vittorja, part of Triq Sta Luċija and part of Triq il-Kbira

Monday 8th December between 06:00hrs and 12:00hrs

·     part of Triq il-Labour (from Triq il-Ġdida to Vjal il-21 ta’ Settembru)

Renewal of Scrappage scheme

A scheme will come into effect whereby a one-time grant will be given to every person who scraps an M1 (passenger vehicle) with an age of 10 years or more and registers a New M1 (passenger vehicle) with a CO₂ of not more than 130g/km and having a length of not more than 4,460mm.

The grant will be on a first come first served basis and will be higher for those vehicles which pollute the least, as follows:

1. €900 will be given to persons registering an M1 vehicle with CO₂ emission levels not exceeding 100g/km;
2. €700 will be given to persons registering an M1 vehicle with CO₂ emission levels between 101g/km and 130g/km;

Vehicles registered under this scheme must be used for private use only, and the the vehicles being deregistered/scrapped must be scrapped at an authorised destruction facility. The scheme will be applicable for vehicles registered as of the 1^st December 2014, and more details will be announced in the coming days. 

VAT paid on Registration Tax returned

VAT paid on Registration Tax for vehicles registered between 1^st May and 31st December 2004

Government will refund the full amount of VAT paid on registration tax, less the amount of grant paid this year to vehicle owners who were eligible for the grant and had a vehicle registered between the 1^st May and 31^st December 2004. Payment will be issued in 2015 in full and final settlement. The same process is to be adopted for the following years until all payments up to end 2008 are settled.

 A letter will be sent to all applicants who were eligible for the grant. Applicants who did not apply may submit an appeal. Further details of this measure will be announced shortly.