'Encouraging' start for bus ticketing machines use

The first day of the bus ticketing system ran smoothly yesterday, despite a few minor hiccups and some complaints, according to both the Malta Transport Authority and the bus owners' Public Transport Association.

Authority staff were stationed by the new vending machines at City Gate, Sliema and Bugibba instructing people how to buy bus cards and tickets and helping them to use the machine. Ticketing machines have also been installed on most buses.

The machines have been long in coming, for years mired in controversy.

The first tender for them was issued in 1995, but in the run-up to the 1996 general election they turned into a major political controversy after the Labour Party claimed there was wrongdoing in the way the tender was drawn up.

The machines' introduction has also been the subject of disputes between the bus owners and the government in the recent past.

Authority chief executive Mario Falzon yesterday said the commuters' feedback was extremely encouraging, with many opting to permanently do away with tickets and small change and purchase a card instead.

The card costs Lm1.50 but comes with no credit. Passengers can top it up to a maximum of Lm20.

The fact that the bus card is empty generated a few complaints from those who expected to have Lm1.50 credit.

Over 100 cards were bought from just two of the six bus ticketing machines at City Gate by the morning and several others from Sliema and Bugibba.

At the moment the bus ticketing machines are only available in these three localities, but an authority spokesperson said another two were planned for Paola in the near future. The system is not yet operating in Gozo.

Mr Falzon said that while the card costs Lm1.50, it was just a one-off expense and commuters could top it up as many times as they wished.

Commuters can also buy a ticket from the machines and show it to the driver who will punch it to invalidate it.

"We have had a few teething problems with the machines, but nothing serious. We had some problems when it came to topping up the bus card and at times the machine needed the exact fare," an authority official at City Gate said.

"Young passengers have no problem figuring out how the machine works, but some elder people take a little while longer to get the hang of it," he said.

Mr Falzon confirmed this and said there were some minor difficulties with the machines' software, which was immediately dealt with by the experts.

The authority spokesperson added that commuters had to be patient with the machine and carefully follow the instructions on the screen without pressing all the buttons at once, which would only serve to jam the entire system.

Meanwhile, bus drivers yesterday seemed quite optimistic that the system would work, despite the minor setbacks of the first day.

A bus driver on Route 45 said that considering it was the first day, things had gone better than expected. However, he said things would be easier if everybody bought the bus card.

On the other hand, a bus driver on Route 64 was still trying to master the machine on his bus and to save time he chose to sell passengers the old tickets.

"I'm not very good with machines and I plan to get my son to teach me how to use it. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon," he said optimistically.

Association president Victor Spiteri commented positively on the first day of the bus ticketing operation, but said the public needed to be better informed of how the system worked.

"We received a few complaints from passengers who bought a ticket for the wrong zone from the machine, paying less in the process. However, once such problems are ironed out, I'm sure it will be business as usual," Mr Spiteri said.

Commuters have until the end of August to get used to the bus ticketing system. As from September 1, those not presenting their pre-paid ticket or bus card will be charged one cent more on their fare, in line with the 1995 agreement between the government and the bus owners.

The bus card can be topped up from the bus ticketing machines or through the driver.

The authority said that about 50 buses, which will soon be phased out, have not been equipped with the on-board ticketing machines, so on these buses - which will be labelled with a sticker - commuters are advised to pay by cash.

The Malta Transport Authority said that due to a technical error the wrong telephone number has been printed on bus tickets being bought from the ticketing machines.

In case of any difficulties, the authority advised people to call on freephone 800 723 93 or the Public Transport Association on 2125 0007.