Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/860911
43 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 AUGUST 2017 Malta Public Transport this week launched 28 new buses, with an investment of €6 million. Felipe Cosmen, the company's chair- man announced that these new low-emission buses feature USB charging points and are designed to carry more people. Some of them are also equipped with lug- gage racks to be used specifically for airport services. During July Malta Public Trans- port carried more than four mil- lion passengers – a record for Malta since there have never been so many people using the bus. So far this year the company has ex- perienced a total increase of 12% in passengers in all categories: regular commuters, students, tallinja card holders, and tourists. "This has encouraged us to in- vest even more in our operation in Malta," said Cosmen, welcoming the positive trend. "Once again, we are going beyond our contrac- tual obligations. In the last two years we have put over 200 new buses in service. This is another record for Malta." Just like the other new buses, these buses are fully air-condi- tioned, fully low floor, accessible to all passengers, environmentally friendly with Euro 6 engines and low emissions - and equipped with all the latest safety technology. Cosmen also spoke about the new upgraded sales outlet within the Arrivals Lounge at the airport, and other products and services that were launched this year. "It has been a very busy year and I would like to take the opportu- nity to thank all our employees – our drivers, our inspectors, our mechanics, our controllers, our supervisors – everyone. I appre- ciate their commitment and sup- port in the implementation of all these initiatives, despite the daily challenges that they face." Cosmen touched on the realities that drivers are facing each day, saying that drivers are finding it increasingly difficult to get from one place to another on time. Ve- hicles are double parked, parked on corners, or simply blocking the way. This is making it difficult for drivers to manoeuvre buses on the road, and is frustrating pas- sengers. "Our passengers are telling us that they are not happy that their journey is being delayed. It isn't fair that our passengers cannot board the bus safely because there are vehicles parked on bus stops," Cosmen maintained. "We know that people are willing to make a change. We have seen an increase in regular travellers using their tallinja card. More and more peo- ple are giving public transport a try. But if bus passengers aren't given priority on the road, then they will start going back to their cars, and traffic will get worse." "Our group international experi- ence has taught us that the chal- lenges we face are similar to other places. Many countries and cities faced the same challenges, they adapted, and they succeeded," concluded Cosmen. "We are confident that these new buses will have a direct impact on this success. We are increasing ca- pacity offering the opportunity for more and more people to make a change, and to jump on our bus- es." €6 million investment in new buses for Malta As part of its battery recycling drive on a national basis, Green- Pak is working closely with vari- ous supermarkets to raise aware- ness and recover more used and unwanted batteries. A number of leading supermarkets are now participating in GreenPak 's BA- TREE campaign to promote the correct disposal of used batter- ies for recycling. The BATREE campaign is be- ing carried out at Scotts Su- permarkets in Attard, B'Kara, Burmarrad, Naxxar, Santa Lu- cija, Sliema, St Julians & Zabbar; Lasco Supermarket in Zejtun; PAVI & PAMA Supermarkets in Qormi and Mosta; Chain Super- markets in Zabbar and Fgura; Green's Supermarket in Swieqi; Tower Supermarket in Sliema; Valyou Supermarket in Naxx- ar; and Smart Supermarket in B'Kara. At these supermarkets, mem- bers of the GreenPak team are informing the public on the proper disposal of used batter- ies in BATREE bins at the outlet. Gifts for children of all ages are also being given away at these promotion points. Duracell is supporting this cam- paign and is giving away discount vouchers on new Duracell pur- chases at these supermarkets. The BATREE supermarket campaign runs until end of September 2017. "Over 2 million batteries are imported in Malta each year. As the country has to reach the EU's collection targets of 45%, this cal- endar year (2017) is being consid- ered as a crucial year for achieving the recycling targets for batteries. The public is strongly encouraged to recycle batteries correctly by depositing them in the specifically designated BATREE bins and not dispose of them in the black bags to end in the landfills," explained Daniel Tabone, Operations Man- ager at GreenPak Coop Society. "We are trying to make it as easy as possible for consumers to prop- erly dispose of their old batteries they are using at home or office, by drop- ping them in bat- tery bins at their local shop. If not disposed properly, used batteries harm the environment" added Mr Tabone. All portable batteries, including rechargeable batteries used for handheld devices, such as porta- ble lights, radios, cordless phones and remote controls, from 9 volts down to button batteries used for watches and clocks, can be depos- ited in the BATREE bins. Run by GreenPak, BATREE is a nationwide battery recycling ini- tiative with many BATREE bins available across Malta and Gozo in Local Councils, schools, sta- tioneries and supermarkets. Outlets and organisations wish- ing to be part of this national ef- fort to collect used batteries for recycling can contact GreenPak on tel: 21660233, or visit www. greenpak.com.mt Emirates and The Football Asso- ciation have announced a three year contract extension to their successful existing partnership. The agreement will see the tour- nament continue to be named The Emirates FA Cup through until 2021. In 2015, Emirates became the title partner of the FA Cup, the world's most prestigious domestic cup competition. The partnership between Emirates and the FA's flagship competition has helped widen the reach to fans around the globe. Just ahead of the semi- finals in April of last year, the airline unveiled an exclusive Emirates FA Cup branded A380, with the logo of the iconic cup adorning both sides of the double- decked aircraft. The Emirates FA Cup branded aircraft has made its way to the extensive Emirates A380 net- work, allowing fans from around the world to connect with the competition in a unique way. The airline also took the cov- eted Emirates FA Cup trophy on its first-ever trip to Africa with a stop at the airline's Headquarters in Dubai in October 2016. The four day tour through Ghana and Kenya including visits to schools and training centres allowed thousands of football fans in Af- rica to get a little closer to the competition and gave them the opportunity to be photographed with the popular trophy. There are plans in place to extend the tour to take the Cup to even more cities on the Emirates network in the coming year. The 2017/18 Emirates FA Cup tournament began on Friday 4 August and saw 737 teams en- tering the competition and 185 extra-preliminary games taking place across the country. Last year's competition involved more than 11,000 players from over 700 teams, playing in matches attend- ed by over 1.8 million fans. The competition continues with the preliminary round on the weekend of 18/19 August and will culminate in a showpiece Final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Saturday 19 May 2018. Emirates operates daily sched- uled flights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus, on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Return your used batteries at supermarkets for recycling, says GreenPak The Emirates FA Cup sponsorship extended until 2021 GreenPak is working closely with various supermarkets to raise awareness and recover more used and unwanted batteries New buses dedicated to airport services are equipped with luggage racks The Emirates FA Cup on board an Emirates Aircraft @ maltatoday We are on Instagram