Students and concession Tallinja card holders who currently use public transport for free are no longer required to top up their Tallinja cards as Malta Public Transport prepares to roll out the service for free as from October 1.

Malta Public Transport (MPT) said in a statement that these users who were already eligible for free travel had to top up their cards and then receive a refund the following month.

However, the Tallinja payment system has now been upgraded to be more straightforward. Card holders that are eligible for free travel will now simply not be charged for their fare, meaning they no longer need to top up their card.

This system will be extended to all personalised Tallinja Card holders as of the 1st of October.

MPT said that passengers still need to tap their Tallinja Card on the ticketing machine when boarding the bus to validate their travel, and inspections will still take place to ensure that everyone has validated their Tallinja Card.