Tourists planning to visit Malta can apply for their personalised tallinja bus card online and have it delivered to an address outside Malta, Malta Public Transport said.
"All the fares, tickets and cards that came into effect on July 1 are available to anyone irrespective of their place of residence or nationality," the company said.
“The change in fares is about encouraging people to use a card instead of buying their tickets on board the bus. Until June this year, there was no difference in price when buying a ticket from on board the bus or not. In fact, 95% of bus tickets were being purchased from the bus” said Daniel Grech, Commercial Director. “After one week of introducing the new tallinja card, we can report that over 50,000 people used their tallinja card instead of paying cash on the bus – this is a major milestone for us.”
“We have added a new feature to our online registration process whereby anyone registering for a tallinja card may have it delivered to any address even if it is outside Malta. Our objective is to reduce the sale of tickets from on board the bus as much as possible – hence the lower fares when using any of our cards," he added.
He also pointed out that there are other products available for immediate use which do not require pre-registration or personalisation. These too offer reduced fares when compared to the ticket bought on the bus. The Explore Cards and the 12 Single Day Journey Card can be purchased by anyone from our ticket booths and other leading outlets.
"We are currently working with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association to have these cards readily available in as many places as quickly as possible,” Mr Grech said.
The Explore 7 Day card offers unlimited travel by bus throughout Malta and Gozo, on all day and night services. It can be used immediately upon purchase and is valid for seven consecutive days from the first validation. The card is valid for one person only and cannot be shared. The Explore Card for Adults costs €21 and the Explore Card for children costs €15.
This 12 Single Day Journey Card, on the other hand, allows people to travel for 12 journeys on day services or six journeys on night services or a combination of both for €15 This card can be used immediately and may be shared and used more than once on the same bus trip.