Non-Maltese residents supplied with a receipt as a temporary substitution for their e-residence cards are being obliged to pay the non-discounted Arriva bus fare, expatriates claim.
The e-residence application receipt is not being accepted by bus drivers as a valid identification document, Irish expat Oisin Jones-Dillon told The Sunday Times.
Currently, the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs is in the process of replacing non-Maltese ID cards with new e-residence cards.
Applicants’ identity cards are being collected and an e-residence application receipt is being issued as a temporary substitute until the e-residence card is ready.
“The bus driver said he was instructed by a ticket inspector not to accept this receipt and I was subsequently made to pay the higher fare. I have already reported this to the European Commission,” Mr Jones-Dillon said.
The expat also claimed passengers were being treated differently on the basis of their physical appearance.
“If a person looks and sounds Maltese, they are not asked for identification and are automatically given the discounted fare. It’s perverted and discriminatory – asking someone with a pink face for identification and not asking someone with a brown face.”
The expat also contacted the European Commission, which informed him it had contacted the Maltese government. In turn, the government committed itself to taking steps to ensure that the bus fare system is not operated in a discriminatory manner.
According to the Commission, the Government also stated that Transport Malta will step up its enforcement to ensure the bus operator strictly adheres to the contract conditions whereby the sole requirement for the discounted fares is the presentation of a valid Maltese identity card or accepted proof of residence in Malta.
Scottish Patricia Graham also referred to the discriminatory practice of only asking people who “looked like foreigners” for identification.
“The two-tiered system should be abolished completely and everyone should pay the same fare.”
She recalled an incident where a bus driver was told off by an inspector for not charging three passengers the non-resident fare.
“It was not the driver’s fault – the bus was bursting. How could he check every single passenger’s identification card? It’s too time-consuming, especially when it’s peak season and hundreds of people are waiting to get on board.”
An Arriva spokesman said the fares and regulations governing public transport are set by the Government through Transport Malta, as the official regulator.
“As the operator of this service in the country, Arriva is obliged to follow these regulations, included requiring proof of residency as necessary.
“We accept any documents issued by the Government that are legally considered as proof of residence.”