Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos has reiterated his plans to solve the issue of heavy traffic in Nicosia by establishing more bus lanes around the capital.

Since he was elected to office, Karousos has repeatedly stated he is determined to provide solutions to traffic congestion in Nicosia.

Apart from new bus lanes, the minister said that new bus routes are being studied extensively and should be implemented within the next six months.

The aim is to create the conditions for residents to make more use of public transport and to increase the frequency of buses on the main roads, with services up to 18 hours per day,” he said.

According to Karousos, the first new bus lanes will take about 13 months once works on making Makarios avenue from the Landmark hotel to the Lycavatos police station one way is completed.

He also added that plans on implementing more one-way streets in the capital will be ready by December, whereas plans for more bus lanes on Limassol Avenue, on Demostheni Severi Avenue and on Strovolos Avenue will be released in 2021.

“We’ve been preparing for an upgrade to the capital for a long time. We need to change the idea people have about public transport,” he said.

“I want the residents of Nicosia to start thinking they can get to where they want faster by bus rather than by car. It’s a huge challenge, but I’m determined to move forward,” Karousos said.

The upgrade to the public transport system in the capital saw its first result at the beginning of the month, when Cyprus Public Transport (CPT), the company that is now running the Nicosia and Larnaca bus routes, officially announced the launch of their service from July 5.

Passengers will be using state-of-the-art buses with wi-fi and USB charging points. CPT said that for now, their buses will be running the same routes as the previous companies, but new routes will be launched in October.

Karousos called the new buses “a milestone for the country”.