More than 5.4 million passengers travelled by bus last month, an increase of 20% when compared to February 2023, Malta Public Transport said on Thursday.

When compared to the same month in 2022 and 2019, this translated to an increase of 50.3% and 18.2% respectively, the company said. 

The bus service became free of charge for Tallinja bus card holders last October.

During March 2023 over 4.5 million passengers used their Tallinja Card to travel, up by 20.0% when compared to the 3.8 million registered in February 2023. When compared to March 2022, that was an increase of 64.4%.

Registrations for Tallinja Card increased by 11% during March 2023 when compared to February 2023, and by 112% when compared to registrations in March 2022.

Konrad Pulé, general manager, said more passengers were choosing to travel to their destinations by bus. However, he also acknowledged that passengers were raising concerns about the time it took to travel by bus. He emphasized the need for stakeholders to prioritise bus passengers on the road.