Bus commuters were positive on Saturday, as public bus rides became free for all residents of Malta.

Malta pledged to make buses free during last year's budget. It is the second country in Europe, after Luxembourg, to make buses free for all residents. 

All routes - standard, night and specialised - are now free-of-charge for residents. 

Residents must possess a valid Tallinja bus card to travel for free. Anyone without a Tallinja card must purchase a valid ticket.  

Catching the bus towards Valletta on Saturday morning, Times of Malta encountered no issues when boarding and a simple tap of the Tallinja card did not drain any of the card's remaining funds from its balance. 

In the leadup to the switchover, registrations for new Tallinja cards rose by some 50 per cent, a spokesperson for Malta Public Transport told Times of Malta. 

“We usually have an average of about 4,000 registration per month but in September there were over 6,700 new registrations,” she said.

At the bus terminus in Valletta, a number of people said they felt positive about the free service, with some saying it would leave some more money in their pocket at the end of the month. 

“I think I will be using the bus about the same amount, because I don’t drive and I have to go to work and school,” said 16-year-old Mattei. 

“What’s good is that sometimes the money would run out of my card and I would have to top it up. Obviously, as a student, money is what it is, so the fact that I'll have a bit more for myself, is good.”

Gurpitson, who was on his way to work, similarly said he looked forward to having one less thing to worry about spending money on. 

“It’s good because before I used to have to put around €30 per month on the card, so free is better,” he said. 

Alison, who said she had previously cut down on using the bus because of the pandemic, said that she hope it would encourage more people to take the bus. 

“I will probably start taking the bus more, especially on days when I might not have a car,” she said. 

“ I think the fact that it's free does make a difference and more people might be tempted to use it. It will definitely be of use for my son, who is still in school. Because of our working hours, neither my husband nor I can really drive him places, so it will be a big help for him.” 

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Additionally, Alison said that the change would inspire changes for the better in the service, particularly in routes and timetables. 

“Now that it is free, I think more than ever it needs to be more efficient than it has ever been,” she said. 

“We live in Żurrieq, for example, and in summer the routes are severely reduced because there is greater demand in other areas, which I can understand.” 

“But if we seriously want to reduce traffic from our streets, I think things like routes and timetables do need to improve. I think the best thing they could do it talk to the public and see what their demands are because if there is better communication, I think the things that people complain about can be addressed.”

Maja, who said she moved to Malta three weeks ago said she was happy to hear about the initiative. 

“I think it’s a very good initiative for Malta because transport in general is difficult, it’s very hard to get from one place to another,” she said. 

“I hope this encourages more people to use it. For me personally, I just finished my studies and started my first job, so it will definitely be good for my pocket and I will be going around the island more.” 

The government announced that it would be extending the free bus service to all Maltese residents during last year’s budget, in a bid to further encourage people to ditch their private cars.

Public transport was already free for people between 14 and 20 years old, full-time students, people with disabilities and people over 70. 

Data suggests that commuters in Malta are never more than a 15-minute walk to a bus stop, but many remain reluctant to use them, citing concerns about reliability and delays.

It is doubtful whether making the bus service free will, on its own, lead to its increased use: Luxembourg's similar measure has not seen car use decrease, while Estonian capital Tallinn, which made public transport free in 2013, concluded in 2021 that the measure had not had the intended effect of getting commuters to leave their cars at home.