Background information

In October 2021 it was announced during the 2022 budget that the bus service in Malta would be made free for all by 1 October 2022. The aim was to promote greater use of public transport as well as reduce congestion on the roads. In so doing, the measure may have environmental benefits. Malta has a very high density of private vehicles; there are 1,500 vehicles for every 1000 licensed drivers, and every household has an average of 1.5 passenger cars (Malta Independent, 2023).

Content of measure

As of 1 October 2022, public bus transport in Malta was made free for holders of a personalised 'Tallinja Card' - this travel card must be tapped each time a passenger boards a bus. Those who board a bus without such a travel card are obliged to pay a fee upon boarding. The Tallinja card provides holders with free travel on day routes, night routes and special service journeys (e.g. temporary routes set up in order to cater for large events like a concert). Tallinja card holders are also able to benefit from discounted rates on the Valletta Ferry Service, a ferry board with connects Valletta with a number of destinations, as well as Tallinja Bike, a bicycle rental service. Customers can register for the Tallinja card against a fee of €15.00. As the process to obtain such a card can take several weeks, it is likely that while Maltese citizens and residents benefit from the scheme, tourists do not.

During a newspaper interview, the Minister for Transport, Aaron Farrugia revealed that the government is spending almost €6 million a month on this measure, €72 million a year (Malta Independent, 2023). The benefits of the measure are being studied as the Government determines the way forward.

Use of measure

As of January 2023, it was announced that the buses carried a total of 49.6 million passengers in 2022, which was an increase of 40% when compared to 2021, but represented fewer passengers than those transported prior to the pandemic.

On the introduction of the initiative, the number of Tallinja card passengers increased by 50% when compared to the same period in 2021 and was 8% above 2019 levels.

During May 2023 it was announced that Malta's public transport had transported a record 5.8 million passengers, which surpassed the previous record of 5.7 million in August 2019. The General Manager of Malta Public Transport also stated that the percentage of people travelling by bus, when compared to travelling by private vehicle or other modes of transport had risen to 11% in 2023, when it was previously recorded at 8% in 2021 (Cities today, 2023).

The minister for Transport, Aaron Farrugia, however, was not as positive about the results of this measure during a newspaper interview. He argued that so far, the shift they were hoping to record of people switching to public transport by Maltese youths, adults and workers had not really happened yet (Malta Independent, 2023).

The popularity of this scheme was further confirmed with data revealing that public transport use had increased by 35% between October 2022 and October 2023 when compared to the 12 months prior to this. 63.7 million passenger trips were carried out (not including tourists) in 2023, this was also higher than at any point in the previous 5 years. Positively, regular users also increased, with most people who made use of the service being of working age. The findings are likely linked to migration and Malta's growing population. In fact, despite the positive statistics, traffic remains a major issue and the number of new cars registered continues to rise (Times of Malta, 2024).

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	European Funds National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

Evidence that the social partners' were specifically involved in the design of this measure was not identified. It is worth noting that during interviews, the Minister for Transport, Aaron Farrugia, stated that discussion on transportation matters were ongoing with social partners, with discussions occurring with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD). The UHM, voice of the people, a large trade union had previously suggested the introduction of free public transport.

Views and reactions

The UHM Voice of the People, a large trade union, welcomed the decision to introduce free bus travel for Tallinja card holders when this was announced during the 2021 budget. The measure was also praised in 2021 by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) as one that benefitted their sector, by the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) as one which would encourage clean mobility, and by the Gozo Business Chamber which however stated that the measure should be accompanied in the future with the replacement of the public transport fleet, in favour of electric vehicles and more frequent services within rural communities.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce also praised the measure in 2021. However in their pre-budget document for Budget 2023 they stated that the measure should be replaced by an e-mobility wallet where funds could be used on various sustainable transport modes other than private cars.

The Kunsill Nazzjonali Zghazagh (National Youth Council) welcomed the measure but noted that the ticket price had not been the main reason why the public avoided public transport and urged the Government to tackle concerns about its efficiency.

Sources

• 11 October 2021: Times of Malta - Budget 2022: Free bus service for all by October 1 next year (timesofmalta.com)
• 12 October 2021: Malta Independent - Budget 2022 reactions: Some wanted more, others expected less (www.independent.com.mt)
• 12 January 2023: Newsbook - Free public transport takes bus passenger numbers above pre-pandemic levels (newsbook.com.mt)
• 04 June 2023: Malta Independent - Free public transport: Government to ‘take stock’ of measure and see if it’s value for money (www.independent.com.mt)
• 11 June 2023: Malta Independent - Free public transport measure is, apparently, not working (www.independent.com.mt)
• 13 June 2023: Cities today - Malta’s free transport in doubt despite record-breaking numbers (cities-today.com)