Malta Public Transport’s popular on-demand service has added Mrieħel and Birkirkara to its routes but has dropped Valletta and Floriana.

Introduced in 2019, Tallinja On Demand allows commuters to book a seat on a mini-bus using the Tallinja App, choosing where and when to be dropped off within a limited area of the island.

The system matches customer requests to specific routes, providing a shorter journey time. A trip costs one passenger €2.50. Additional passengers booked pay €1.

Although Mrieħel is very central, the area is currently served by routes to and from a limited number of localities- David Alvarez, Malta Public Transport

The mini-bus now operates on 83 bus stops between Mrieħel, Birkirkara, Msida, Mater Dei Hospital, San Ġwann, Sliema, St Julian’s, Swieqi and Pembroke, an addition of 20 bus stops.

Why the change in routes?

In a press statement on Wednesday, Malta Public Transport explained that Valletta and Floriana are well connected through the regular bus routes.

The company’s operations director, David Alvarez, said the service area had been changed to “improve connectivity around the islands”.

“This follows extensive market research into travel patterns, discussions with the Mrieħel business community and a successful pilot project on demand-responsive public transport,” he said.

In a survey carried out by Malta Public Transport and the Mrieħel business community in November, 80 per cent of commuters said they would use public transport if they could reserve a seat and nearly all would use it if they could receive a notification on their phone of when the bus was arriving.

About 60 per cent drive to their workplace in Mrieħel and 40 per cent use public transport.

“Although Mrieħel is very central, the area is currently served by routes to and from a limited number of localities,” a Malta Public Transport spokesperson added.

New map prompts complaints of longer commute

While Mrieħel employees and residents may welcome the new service, not everyone is pleased with the route changes.

Melody Bamber found the on demand service handy for her long commutes, which she said would now become significantly more “stressful, difficult, uncomfortable and time-consuming”.

Bamber used to catch the mini-bus from Paceville to Bombi bus stop, which is no longer served by Tallinja On Demand, and then catch a regular bus to Kirkop.

Catching the regular bus all the way will now lengthen her trip by 30 to 40 minutes.

Another commuter said it used to take him just 15 minutes to travel from his home in San Ġwann to Valletta using the on demand service.

Instead of passing through Gżira, the mini-bus took the regional road “and might have just one or two stops, instead of 25 or so”.

He is now thinking about driving to and from work “and add to the existing traffic, congestion and pollution."

He said it was a "shame that such a forward-thinking service has taken a step backwards".