FAQs FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT

As from 1 October 2022 all holders of a valid personalised Tallinja Card will be able to travel for free on board all Malta Public Transport buses operating day routes, night routes and special services. Passengers will need to tap their personalised Tallinja Card on the ticket machine next to the bus driver every time they board the bus. Passengers do not need to have credit on their Tallinja Card in order to travel on day routes, night routes and special services. However, any passengers with a negative balance on their Tallinja Card or with an invalid Tallinja Card, will not be able to travel for free and will be required to pay for a cash ticket. Furthermore, passengers using their Tallinja Card for bus services that are not eligible for free travel (like Tallinja Direct Services and On-Demand Services) will be required to have sufficient credit on their Tallinja Card to pay for their trip. You can check your balance on your Tallinja Card by entering your customer number using the following link: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/check-card-balance or by downloading the Tallinja APP from Apple Store or Google Store for free.

Yes. To avail yourself of free public transport you need to have a valid personalised Tallinja Card. You need to tap your personalised Tallinja Card on the ticket machine inside the bus every time you board the bus.

To register for a tallinja card, visit https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/register-now. You will need to provide your name and surname, your Maltese Identity Card number, Residence Document or passport number, email address, date of birth and mobile number. All customers aged 10 and over will also be required to submit a passport photo. If you are applying for a Student Card or a Concession Card, you will be required to provide further documentation depending on the card type. For further details and terms and conditions regarding the personalised Tallinja Card and the free public transport scheme visit: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/terms-and-conditions

Anyone with a personalised Tallinja Card is eligible for free public transport. This includes Child Cards, Student Cards, Adult Cards, Concession Cards, and Gozo Cards. For details on how to apply for a personalised Tallinja Card, please visit: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/register-now

In order for the bus operator and for the authorities to keep track of passenger numbers for planning purposes, it is important that you tap your Tallinja Card on the ticket machine every time you board the bus. Our inspectors carry out random inspections on the buses each day in order to check that all passengers have tapped their Tallinja Card or purchased a cash ticket. If you do not tap the card on the machine inside the bus, you will be fined €50 and your Tallinja Card will be confiscated until you pay your fine.

Free public transport using a personalised Tallinja Card is available on all Day routes, Night routes, and Special Services (depends on the organisers’ agreement with Malta Public Transport). As of 15^th January 2024, all holders of a personalised Tallinja Card can travel for free on Valletta Ferry Services, the ferry service between Sliema or The 3 Cities and Valletta and the Baraka Lift when applicable. Tallinja Direct routes, the Tallinja On Demand service, and other mobility services are not included in the Government free public transport scheme.

Yes, your personalised Tallinja Card should still work and can be used on our buses. You can check your balance on your Tallinja Card by entering your customer number using the following link: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/check-card-balance or by downloading the Tallinja APP from Apple Store or Google Store for free.

As of 1st October you will no longer need to top up your Tallinja Card to avail yourself from free public transport as the new system will no longer work with a refund system. Just tap your Tallinja Card on the bus, and you can travel for free. This change will happen automatically and you do not need to change or do anything.

Yes, your personalised Tallinja Card and credit is still valid and will still show on your balance. However should you encounter any problems please call us on 21222000 or contact us on enquiries@publictransport.com.mt

No, you do not need to top up your card, unless you (i) already have an existing negative balance and in which case you need to rectify, or (ii) you would like to use services not covered by the free public transport scheme which may include Tallinja Direct Bus Services, On-Demand Bus Services, and other mobility services.

You will need credit on your Tallinja Card to use Tallinja Direct routes and the Tallinja On Demand services. You may also use your credit to experience Malta’s own vintage buses, operated by Vintage Bus City Tours. If you do not plan on using these services at all, you may apply for a refund of the credit on your card. An administration fee of €5 plus bank charges will be deducted from your Tallinja Card balance, and you may keep your Tallinja Card just the same and use it on public transport and benefit from the free public transport scheme. Please fill in the online form that will be available from April onwards (depending on your card type – see below for further details) and provide your bank details so that the refund will be transferred to your bank account.

Malta Public Transport is also providing card holders the option to donate the credit on their Tallinja Card to Puttinu Cares Foundation.

Customers whose credit on their Tallinja Card amounts to less than €5 can spend this credit on any of the other mobility services available or donate it to Puttinu Cares Foundation. For clarity, all Tallinja Card customers will be able to donate all their Tallinja Card credit, irrespective of the amount on their card. All donations made to Puttinu Cares Foundation will be made in full, without any deductions from the credit on the Tallinja card. All bank charges related to donations will be borne by Malta Public Transport as a gesture of solidarity towards the noble work being carried out by Puttinu Cares Foundation.

The refund process will be introduced in a staggered approach, starting with the Gozo cards in April 2023. Customers can request their refund or donate their credit to Puttinu Cares Foundation based on the below schedule that staggers the customers based on card type:

- From April 2023 onwards: Gozo Cards

- From May 2023 onwards: Child and Concession Cards

- From June 2023 onwards: Adult and Student Cards

When you fill in the online form available on the website, you will be asked to provide your bank account number or IBAN so we can transfer the funds to your bank account. No refunds in cash or cheques will be issued. You will incur the bank charges and a €5 administration fee, which will be deducted from your available balance.

It is important to note that during 2023, the company is offering a 50% discount on the administration fee to process these refunds, which means that the customer will be charged an administration fee of €5 if they apply for a refund before 31 December 2023 instead of the usual fee of €10.

If you have a balance of less than €5, this can be used for other services including On-Demand bus services, Tallinja Direct bus services, renting of Tallinja Bikes around the islands, and Malta’s own vintage buses operated by Vintage Bus City Tours.

Your Tallinja Card will not work if you have a negative balance. Your balance must be at least €0, but we suggest keeping a balance just in case you would like to use it on other services as mentioned previously. If you board a bus with a negative balance on your Tallinja Card, you will need to purchase a cash ticket in order to travel.

This may have occurred because you benefited from our emergency credit service which allows passengers that have insufficient credit, to travel anyway by bus, and then they can top up after their trip. You can check your balance on your Tallinja Card by entering your customer number using the following link: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/check-card-balance or by downloading the Tallinja APP from Apple Store or Google Store for free.

Yes, our inspectors board buses randomly to check whether Tallinja Cards have been validated on the ticket machine inside the bus. Passengers who do not tap their Tallinja Card and do not have a cash ticket will be fined €50. Should passengers not pay this fine, their Tallinja Card will be confiscated until the fine is paid.

You can travel as much as you want on the day routes, night routes and special routes. Fares will still apply for Tallinja Direct Routes, Tallinja On-Demand Bus Services, and other mobility services.

If you encounter such a problem with your Tallinja Card, please call us on 2122 2000 or email us on enquires@publictransport.com.mt.

No. The Tallinja Card is personalised. It is registered on your name. It displays your photo (except for Child Cards) and name. Therefore, Tallinja Cards cannot be shared. Anyone caught using someone else’s Tallinja Card will be fined €50.

You can check the balance of the credit on your Tallinja Card online at www.publictransport.com.mt, on the Tallinja App and at any one of our Ticket Booths.

You can buy a replacement card from one of our Ticket booths. You can also order a replacement card over the phone by calling 2122 2000.

No. To travel for free, you will need to tap your valid personalised Tallinja Card on the ticketing machine on the bus. You do not need to present any identification document in addition to your Tallinja Card. Furthermore, you will not be eligible to travel for free by simply presenting an identification document on the bus.

In order for the bus operator and for the authorities to keep track of passenger numbers for planning purposes, it is important that you tap your Tallinja Card on the ticket machine every time you board the bus.

Yes. Please email us at enquiries@publictransport.com.mt and you will be guided through the process to get refunded for your unused top-up voucher.