Bus ticketing machines to be installed within a month

Bus ticketing machines will start being installed on the 508 route buses as from next week, a process expected to be concluded within a month, Transport Minister Censu Galea said yesterday.

Speaking during the start of operations of the 18th new bus on the road, which is also the first one made in Europe, Mr Galea said the introduction of bus ticketing machines was one of the measures being taken to make public transport more efficient.

Mr Galea said the replacement of old buses by new ones was proceeding at a steady pace and more than 80 were expected to be here by the end of the year.

A total of 147 owners have signed an agreement with the government for a subsidy of Lm32,000, and 30 more are in the process of doing so.

Mr Galea said that apart from modernising the fleet, the Transport Authority was working hard to improve the efficiency of the service.

Other planned measures were the introduction of night route services, as promised in the government's electoral manifesto, and of new routes.

The minister said ticket vending machines for customers had already been installed in the Valletta and Bugibba termini and once the machines were in use on the buses themselves, regular bus users would be able to purchase prepaid card tickets ranging in value from Lm2 to Lm20.

Bus drivers would also be able to add credit to commuters' cards. Single tickets would also be available.

Mr Galea said the Malta Transport Authority would soon be launching a media campaign to explain to the public how the machines should be used. Explanatory posters would be set up near each ticket vending machine.

Bus drivers were currently being trained on how the ticketing machines should be used. Drivers are attending a three-session course at the authority, with each session lasting three hours.

The new bus, a Volvo, was imported by V. Spiteri & Sons Ent. Ltd. It cost Lm58,000 and is in line with the relevant European Union legislation on urban buses.

It is fully air conditioned, and comes with vandal-proof seats and tinted windows for protection from the sun, company representative Victor Spiteri said.