Tallinja card a huge success - from 1% to 85% card usage in just six months

The tallinja card launched by Malta Public Transport last July has been deemed a huge success, with over 230,000 bus users now opting to travel using a card. This means that in less than half a year more than half the population is now in possession of a tallinja card which compares very well with the take-up of similar travel cards in other small European states or large European cities. This compares to just 1% of passengers that used to use a card until June 2015.

With the tallinja card, customers automatically benefit from a weekly or monthly capping. This means that customers do not spend more than a specific amount irrespective of the number of journeys made. By way of example, a holder of a concession card will not spend more than €2.00 in any given week irrespective of the number of journeys made. This is a benefit not seen in other European cities.

85% of all bus users are now using a tallinja card. This results in a shorter journey time as passengers do not need to wait for the driver to prepare the ticket and to give the customer any change. “The take-up of the card has been quite remarkable, when considering that before July of last year almost all passengers purchased a ticket to travel on board a bus. No other country in Europe boasts of having half the population choosing to use a travel card especially in such a short time” stated Malta Public Transport Commercial Director Daniel Grech.

“Public transport accessibility is about people’s ability to move around; it is about enabling access, empowering people and ensuring they are not dependent on third parties for their mobility. Our tallinja cards together with other initiatives and investments taken by the company ensure everyone can travel around the island. We are now also guaranteeing dispatch by registered post of any new cards within two weeks”, said Grech.

Of particular importance is the adoption of the card by customers older than 60 years. In fact, more than 75% of people older than 60 years are holders of a tallinja card. This percentage increases by age. The significance of this is that the elderly are increasingly more mobile and the public transport service together with an easy-to-use travel card is key to ensuring that the elderly remain active within society.

In 6 months, the company has had to change only a fraction of the 230,000 cards in circulation, which is further proof of the card’s success. The number of cards replaced as a result of faults developed by the card itself was minimal which clearly demonstrates the strong quality of the materials used in the manufacture of the card.

The new card system saves a lot of time for both drivers and passengers. Whereas in the past each and every passenger bought a ticket when boarding a bus, today passengers simply swipe the card and board a bus, allowing drivers to focus on their core activity- that of safely driving the bus.

This new system will also allow the company to study travel patterns and flows, which will be essential in future route design and planning. “The new card system is also highly beneficial for us to be able to find the weakest links in our service. If we know that the people making use of a given route at a particular time exceeds the number of seats available, we will immediately be aware of this and know to increase buses on that route,” said Mr Grech

During 2015 and up to January 2016, Malta Public Transport exempted all customers registering for a new tallinja card from paying the €5.00 registration fee which it was allowed in the contract with the Government. This represents an investment of more than 1 million Euros by the company to facilitate the implementation of this much needed change.

In an effort to make travel as easy as possible for its customers, Malta Public Transport has recently revamped its website adding more functions so as to help its customers plan their journeys, top up their tallinja card and to get information about the public transport service. This is in addition to a number of other initiatives which includes the installation of almost 100 displays across the busiest bus stops and interchanges which show real-time information about the public transport service. Furthermore, Malta Public Transport has recently revamped the design of the bus stop timesheets making them easier to read and to plan ones journey.

"We are now looking to the future to find new innovative ways to make the service even more efficient and easy to use. We will be launching a smartphone app which can be used to obtain information on the next buses which will be arriving at any given bus stop in real time. We believe that this will dramatically improve the quantity and quality of information which will be made available to our customers which will help them plan their journeys when using the public transport service", he concluded.