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The Malta Transport Authority has told MaltaToday that new bus routes and extensions to the existing routes are imminent, even if the Association that represents the bus owners told this newspaper only recently that the decision to introduce them had been put on the backburner.
The MTA, however, would not reveal which were the new routes to be introduced, although it has been reported that they have been designed to join towns and villages that normally are linked via public transport only through Valletta.
The dismal failure of the bus ticketing cards, which were intended to remove the need for cash to be exchanged between commuters and drivers, has convinced the transport authority not to increase the price of bus tickets as had been previously intended. When the cards were first introduced it was announced that people not using the cards would have to pay one cent extra, but with only a miserably small number of commuters using the bus cards, the Authority has changed its mind.
When the cards were first introduced commuters complained that they had to pay Lm1.50 for an empty card, and while the Authority defended the price the commuters argued with their wallets and just refused to purchase them. Commuters also complained that using the cards was a slower process than paying by cash, slowing down each bus trip.
While Malta does not enjoy night transport provided by the public transport association, the Malta Transport Authority told MaltaToday: “The Authority believes it is vital to have a public transport night service especially since we want to encourage people to make use of public transport as opposed to private cars.”
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