Books and Magazines
Malta Transport Society
MTN - Malta's Transport Nostalgia and News
Originally launched as Maltese Transport News, this high-quality quarterly magazine started in June 2005. Originally published by Buses Worldwide, since MTN 63 in 2021 it has come under the Malta Transport Society (with the same team), who also publish books under the Malta Bus Publishing name.
MTN continues to feature the latest news on the scheduled and unscheduled fleets, together with articles covering all aspects of the Maltese bus scene, whether it be topical or historical, plus articles on other transport subjects, notably preserved and old commercial vehicles.
Subscriptions are very reasonably priced and can be arranged through the Malta Transport Society website. Back numbers are also available from the Society, whilst certain early editions are available through the Buses Worldwide website.
Malta & Gozo Fleetbook 2021
This 72-page illustrated fleetbook was published in July 2021 and covers the MPT Fleet, coach operators on both Malta and Gozo, open top operations, minibuses, and notable non-PSV buses on the islands. It costs £10 including UK postage and is available from Malta Bus Publishing.
Earlier editions of the Malta Bus Fleetbook were published by Stuart Harvey in 2008 and 2009 (see further down the list).
The Society also produces an annual Buses of Malta and Gozo Calendar.
Maltese Buses DBY300 to DBY470
Published in 2021, this B5-sized hardback book with 288 pages looks at the life and times of all the buses to carry the DBY licence plates, which took the numbers from 300 to 470. The book contains around 700 colour images, with some from the green era to illustrate how the buses changed over the years. Details are also included on the history of each bus licence where known.
See Malta Bus Publishing for prices and how to order.
Maltese Buses EBY471 to EBY640
Published in late 2023, this book is the next in the series and covers the complete history of the 215 buses which had EBY registrations. Also in B5 hardback format, it contains over 700 photographs, also an update to the DBY registered vehicles since the first book was published.
See Malta Bus Publishing for prices and how to order.
A further volume is planned covering the FBY registered buses.
Maltese Transport - The Ergomatics
Published in 2022, this 176-page B5 perfect-bound book is a mainly photographic look at Ergo-cabbed lorries in Malta and Gozo, and includes over 320 images of the trucks on the island. Where possible information on their UK origins is included.
See Malta Transport Society for prices and how to order.
Maltese Buses of Yesteryear
Maltese Buses of Yesteryear
Published by Buses Worldwide, this superb 64-page full-colour booklet is bristling with priceless colour images from the 1960s, showing the variety of pre-grouping liveries, as well as detailed maps. Priced at £6.00, (including UK postage) this 2006 publication is highly recommended and is available through the Buses Worldwide website.
Malta Bus Handbook
Malta Bus Handbook 2nd edition
The 2nd edition of the Malta Bus Handbook, showing the fleet as at early 2010, not long before Arriva took over and the yellow era came to an end. Written by Tom Johnson and published by British Bus Publishing at £15.75, this handbook provides a valuable record of the buses and operations in Malta prior to the reforms of 2011. Now available from the author at £7.50 plus p&p (see first edition below).
In addition to the usual chassis and body details, the fleet listing includes the Maltese owner's name, former registration number, and both the former and original owners. Other information where known includes background details on importation of chassis and changes in bodywork. Unscheduled coaches and minibuses are included, as are the police, airport and educational fleets. There is also a detailed description of each route and an overview of operations as at 2010, along with brief histories of the major coach firms.
Malta Bus Handbook 1st edition
This first edition of the Malta Bus Handbook by Tom Johnson was published by British Bus Publishing in 2003 priced at £14.75. As well as an overview of public transport operations, it provides a full fleet list of the buses and coaches of Malta and Gozo as at early 2003 including the name of the owner. There are numerous colour photographs, and detailed descriptions of the main bus routes and places served.
The handbooks no longer feature on the British Bus Publishing website but copies of both editions are available from the author at £7.50 each plus postage and packing; email puzzler@btinternet.com for details.
Malta Bus Fleetbooks 2008 and 2009
The Malta Bus Fleetbooks 2008 and 2009
Produced by Stuart Harvey under the Q-Nimb banner, these well illustrated colour fleetbooks were published in March 2008 and August 2009 respectively, priced at £10. They provide a comprehensive fleetlist of all route buses and unscheduled coaches in Malta and Gozo, along with open toppers, the education and police fleets, and other non-psv vehicles such as welfare, training and hospitality buses.
The list includes the VIN of each vehicle, along with body numbers where known, and previous UK registrations where appropriate. This is complemented by colour photographs, background information, a list of the main routes, and maps of the bus routes in Malta and Gozo.
PSV Circle Fleet Lists
PSV Circle Fleetlist of Malta and Gozo
The PSV Circle's fleetlist of Malta and Gozo (reference WWK104) is shown as the 5th edition and was published in February 2018. It consists of 68 pages with 39 colour photos, and contains details of all buses, coaches and minibuses, including non-PSVs, operating at that time. The price is £10 and it can be ordered from the PSV Circle website.
The previous edition (cover also shown) was reference OG501 published in April 2010 and is now out of print. Older editions were published in June 1980 (publication O54), July 1987 (OF1), March 1998 (OG99), March 2001 (OG199) and September 2004 (OG299).
Other Books about Buses in Malta
The Malta Buses
Written by Joseph Bonnici and Michael Cassar, and published in Malta in 1989, this interesting book was reprinted in 2006 and was available in Malta for about 17 euros but is now out of print. It covers the history of bus operations in Malta, and includes many historical photographs. A large part of the book consists of a photo file with almost every post-war bus up until 1980. Some of the original 1989 copies were produced in a hardback version.
Copies of the book are now very difficult to obtain.
Malta Bus Album
Written by John A Senior and published in 2004 by Venture Publications at £16.95, this book is a pictorial record of buses in Malta and Gozo spanning fifty years. It also contains a potted history of buses in Malta. Second-hand copies are available online.
Malta The Bus Kingdom
Published by Rakutensya Publishing of Tokyo in 1999, Malta the Bus Kingdom contains excellent photographs and was published in both Japanese and English editions, which differ slightly in content and the selection of photographs. The publisher's website no longer works so they may have gone out of business, but second-hand copies can sometimes be found online.
Malta and Gozo Route Buses
Published by Visions International (now VI Media), this book by Jeff Lloyd was published in December 2018 and illustrates a selection of the pre-2011 route buses. It has 124 full-colour pages and was originally priced at £18.95. It is no longer listed on the publisher's website but may still be available from other sellers.
Malta's Dodge-Shape Buses
Roger F. de Boer visited Malta 23 times between 1977 and 2003 and many of his photos are included in this 56-page book, published around 2014. ISBN is 9780-9541182-6-4 and it was originally priced at £12.50.
You may be able to find a copy online.
The Story of the Malta Buses, 1931-2014
Published by Maltese publisher BDL Books and written by Michael Cassar, this small format book of some 80 pages was originally published in 2011 with "1931-2011" in the title but was subsequently updated to read "1931-2014". This informative and well illustrated book was originally available from the publisher for €8.95 but is now presumed to be out of print.
Buses of Malta
This paperback book by Tim Machin was published in December 2021 by Amberley Publishing priced at £15.99. At the time of writing it was available at a discount from the Amberley Publishing website. It contains previously unpublished photographs of the Malta bus scene - with a major UK influence.
Railway and Tramway Books
The Malta Railway (Bonnici & Cassar)
Another excellent book by Joseph Bonnici and Michael Cassar, this well produced and comprehensive history of Malta's railway (1883 to 1931) was originally published in 1987, with a revised edition in 1992. Like The Malta Buses above it was reprinted around 2006 but is now out of print. A rare hard-cover version from 1988 can sometimes be obtained from specialist dealers.
The Malta Railway (Oakwood Press)
Published in the UK by Oakwood Press in 2004 with a price of £9.95, this book by B.L. Rigby covers the history of the railway and its rolling stock, and also includes a section on exploring the remains of the railway. Copies may still be available through the booktrade and online. An earlier edition appeared in 1970.
The Malta Tramway and the Barracca Lift
Another book by Joseph Bonnici and Michael Cassar published in Malta, this one dates from 1991. Out of print for several years, this book was finally reprinted in 2011, price around 30 euros, but is once again out of print. The trams ran from 1905 to 1929 and linked Valletta with Hamrun, Birkirkara, Cottonera and Zebbug.