HERITAGE MALTA’S LATEST PUBLICATION, MILL-OMNIBUS SA TAL-LINJA: IT-TRASPORT PUBBLIKU F’MALTA 1856-2015, OFFERS A RICHLY NARRATED ACCOUNT OF HOW THE MALTESE HAVE TRAVELLED TOGETHER OVER THE PAST 160 YEARS.
Public transport is more than a way of getting from one place to another. In Malta, it is a story of resilience, ingenuity and constant reinvention, one that mirrors the islands’ own evolution. Heritage Malta’s latest publication, Mill-Omnibus sa Tal-Linja: It-Trasport Pubbliku f’Malta 1856-2015, written by historian Edward Attard, offers a comprehensive account of how the Maltese have travelled together over the past 160 years. Richly researched and vividly narrated, the book charts the journey from horse-drawn omnibuses to the iconic Maltese buses, weaving through trains, trams, ferries and the early Gozo crossings that shaped daily life long before modern mobility arrived.
Attard’s work opens in 1856, when Malta’s first omnibus service began operating between Valletta and Lija. Imported from England through the initiative of Vincenzo Attard of Lija, these four-wheeled vehicles, affectionately nicknamed nemnebus by locals, could carry 16 passengers on two long benches. They represented a new kind of shared mobility, one that connected communities in ways previously unimaginable. As the book recounts, the service soon expanded, with new models arriving from France and the Malta Omnibus Co. extending routes to Żebbuġ, Rabat, Sliema, St Paul’s Bay and eventually Marfa. A journey from Valletta to Marfa took more than three hours, with stops along the way to rest the horses, a reminder of the slower pace of life of earlier generations.
Running parallel to the omnibus era was the rise of the karozzin. Though smaller and more intimate, the horse-drawn carriage offered flexibility the omnibus could not: no fixed routes, no fixed schedules and a level of comfort that appealed to both locals and British servicemen stationed on the island. But as motorised transport began to take hold, the karozzin trade faced existential pressure. By 1921, about 1,800 coachmen were still active, yet within a decade their numbers had begun to fall sharply. Strikes, protests and attempts to protect their livelihood marked this turbulent transition, a human story that Attard captures with sensitivity. Many coachmen eventually adapted, becoming bus drivers or conductors, while others left the trade altogether. The karozzin would later find a second life in tourism, though not without controversy in recent years.
One of the most fascinating chapters in the book explores Malta’s short-lived but memorable railway. Conceived in the 1870s as a solution to the limitations of horse-drawn transport, the Malta Railway opened in 1883, linking Valletta to Rabat with stops in Ħamrun and Birkirkara. The journey took just 25 minutes, a remarkable improvement for the time. Yet despite early success, financial difficulties, competition from emerging bus services and a series of operational challenges led to the railway’s closure in 1931. Attard recounts not only the technical and economic aspects of the railway, but also the human stories: the rules governing passengers, occasional incidents and the sense of novelty the train brought to Maltese life.
Equally evocative is the story of the tram, introduced in 1905. Powered by electricity generated at a purpose-built power station in Marsa, the tram network extended to Bormla, Ħamrun, Qormi and Żebbuġ. It was modern, efficient and transformative, yet it too faced difficulties. The book details the tragic accidents that marked its early years, including brake failures and collisions, as well as the financial pressures that ultimately led to the tram’s closure in 1929. Still, for nearly a quarter-century, the tram reshaped urban mobility and left an imprint on Malta’s transport heritage.
Finally, the publication reaches the arrival of the first motor buses in the early 20th century. Inspired by European models displayed at international exhibitions, Maltese entrepreneurs such as Wiġi Apap imported the earliest vehicles and launched the first motor omnibus services. These buses would eventually become a national icon, brightly coloured, individually customised and deeply woven into Malta’s cultural identity. Attard’s narrative leads up to 2015, capturing the many transformations, challenges and milestones that shaped the bus system over more than a century.
Attard also dedicates significant attention to maritime transport, both the dgħajjes tal-pass and laneċ operating in the harbours as well as the ferries connecting Malta and Gozo.
Heritage Malta’s newest publication stands as an essential resource for anyone interested in the islands’ history, mobility or collective memory. It reminds us that transport is not merely infrastructure but a living thread that binds generations, places and stories together.
The book may be purchased online here:
https://heritagemalta.mt/store/
