An incident involving me with Transport Malta is the last straw. From day one, my tallinja card has proved to be nothing but problems, trouble and sheer frustration! Not to mention that my personal experience was a whole rip-off! Although fully compliant with the prescribed requirements, I never benefitted from the supposed discounted fares.

After several top-ups, the credit shown on the card was always less than it should be. On several occasions on boarding a bus, the card displayed an ‘invalid’ entry – much to my embarrassment and frustration, adding insult to injury for having to pay the fare and then claiming a supposed ‘refund’ from the appropriate quarters and channels.

Several times I proceeded to claim my legitimate refund, but to no avail! All possible excuses were relayed to me in order not to be given a refund, apart from the continuous redirections, sometimes confusing, given to me. I have more than once been humiliated by Transport Malta officials and drivers.

Well, to this day, and after the lapse of a whole month, I remain without any remedy. I am sure that I speak on behalf of thousands of commuters who have, or still are experiencing the same nightmare.

Transport Malta has proven to be a rare exception to the basic principle that the customer is always right! Their customer care is anything but of any help to the poor commuter.

Can anyone out there at Transport Malta help me get out of this growing plight and quandary please? The editor will gladly provide you with all my contact details.