Some commuters are being stopped from using the free bus service as Malta Public Transport tries to claw back erroneous top-ups it made to Tallinja cards as far back as last year.

The cards have been left with a negative balance and remain invalid for use until the bill is settled.

Tallinja customers have taken to social media to complain, with many saying they were unaware of the situation until they tried to use them.

Buses were made free to use for Tallinja card holders from October 1 but, the following month, some passengers noticed problems with their cards.

In most cases, people reported a single erroneous payment of €26. However, some were significantly higher, including one at €40.

Another person said they were left with a negative balance of €53.

Complaints began surfacing last week, with customers sharing screenshots showing negative balances and communica­­tions from Malta Public Transport requesting they settle the outstanding amounts to continue using their cards.

Tanvir Ahmed shared a screenshot showing a €26 top-up that was applied in error to his account in December 2021. 

When the transaction was reverted last week over a year after the error took place, the negative balance left him unable to board a bus to work.

In a statement, Malta Public Transport said that a “small percentage of Tallinja Card customers” were affected by a “technical fault” which saw their cards “erroneously credited” with money.

The operator said that customers affected by the issue “were notified multiple times over the last six months through emails, phone calls and text messages to regularise their position to be able to continue using their cards”.

The “vast majority” of users affected by the issue had already “refunded the extra credit for which they had not paid”, the company added.

In November, Malta Public Transport began to reverse the top-ups for those who did not repay, it said. While some social media users confirmed receiving an email, other customers said they had never been contacted about the issue. 

Citing the civil code, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority said companies have a “legal right to recover the extra funds” from passengers within two years of discovering an error.