This is a cool story, I am all for actually everything going free, writing mostly about the connection between free money, and free energy (Only solar is given for free with nothing asked in return). I wonder where the budget for the free bus scheme comes from. I am guessing by response of Nick B that it is not lavishly funded, which probably means it is claimed to be done on taxes.

But if Malta has a high proportion of energy consumed generated by domestic and community solar, then it could be done by issuing solar indexed UBI (The only way to monetise economic product created by reception of energy given for free), some of which could be used to fund a free bus scheme like this.

Then if it is found there is not enough economic product created by solar to support the UBI, all that needs to be done is redirect some of the funds towards scaling up the domestic and community solar complement, giving more and more people free energy, whilst increasing creation of economic product.

See how this works?

On emissions, how to convert emissions from something harmful, to something beneficial, is to move from fossil fuels to hydrogen, which again could be added to every domestic & community installation, removing also any batteries they might currently use / need for backup.

The government itself, like all businesses, can itself become such a community, removing its need to collect taxes entirely.

It would require all vehicles and the infrastructure converted to use hydrogen, but this is just a routine minor challenge to fuel systems Engineers, who would do it very quick, if they too were given the stimulus to do it.

But like this all fuel consumed would be generated in the first place by the population of domestic and community solar installations, providing ubiquitous fuel in all places, with no per-Joule emissions.

Like this Malta would quickly become energy independent, as well as actually emissions negative, so very wealthy indeed, actually a model for the rest of the world to follow (more than it is already I mean!)

P.S. I just got interested enough to check the currency of Malta, and was disappointed to note it is the Euro. This means you are closely coupled with what the rest of Europe does, mostly under the auspices of the IMF, and similar.

It isn't in their interests for Malta to become energy independent, I think they would probably act to prevent any such effort.