More than nine million passengers used public transport between January and March, representing a 15 per cent increase over the same period last year, Malta Public Transport said. It said the increase was reflected across all customer segments.
“Since we completed the changes to the route network in December, we have focused our resources on improving the quality and reliability of our bus service” general manager Konrad Pulé said.
“We are able to measure the performance of each route more effectively thanks to the technology we have invested in, and also thanks to our people who are responsible for monitoring the service.”
He said that 85 per cent of passengers continued to use tallinja cards rather than paper tickets. “Apart from the improved boarding time, this reduction in ticket printing contributes positively towards our environment” Mr Pulé said.
Malta Public Transport also reported a reduction of 30 per cent in the number of queries and complaints received in between January and March.
It said that the next quarter will feature further improvements to the bus service particularly in the San Gwann area, the introduction of a real time mobile APP, and the arrival of a new training simulator for bus drivers.
“We will also be gearing up for the summer service with the arrival of 33 new Euro 6 buses. This is all part of our commitment to improving the overall customer experience for our bus users,” Mr Pulé said.
In a statement, Transport Malta welcomed the positive results, though it urged Malta Public Transport to not rest on its laurels and instead continue investing in new technologies and prepare to crank up operations for the busy summer months.
The Association for Consumer Rights was not as complimentary. It said consumer complaints were still falling on deaf ears, despite students and the elderly finding it impossible to reach hospital and University on time. There was a lack of bus shelters, the ACR added, and imminent Kappara junction roadworks would only exacerbate problems, they added in a statement.