16/07/2016
This Sunday, Malta Public Transport will be increasing bus frequencies on six routes servicing the Cirkewwa, Bugibba and Sliema areas as well as operating six new Tallinja Direct special services in these areas and the airport, providing 159 additional trips per day.
There will be an additional 23 trips per day on the popular Sliema-Bugibba Route 212, which is one of the busiest routes on the island. As from Sunday there will be four buses per hour servicing this route instead of three, all day between 08.30 and 20:30.
The Cirkewwa-Bugibba route (221) will also be increasing to four buses per hour instead of three between 08:30 to 19:30. Over and above this, there will be an additional new Tallinja Direct route servicing these localities, Route TD6, which will operate daily on an hourly schedule between 11:00 and 13:00 from Bugibba to Cirkewwa and between 16:00 and 20:00 from Cirkewwa to Bugibba. This means that Malta Public Transport will be operating an additional 31 trips per day between Cirkewwa and Bugibba.
The increase in frequency on the Cirkewwa-Valletta routes (41 and 42), will result in six buses per hour instead of the current four during peak times, which are 08:30 to 12:00 and from 16:30 to 19:30. This means that there will be an additional 21 bus trips per day on these routes.
On Route 222, from Cirkewwa to Sliema, the frequency will increase to four buses per hour instead of three during peak times, which are from 08:30 to 12:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. Two new Tallinja Direct routes will also be introduced on Sunday in these localities. Route TD1, Ghadira Bay – Sliema, will operate daily every hour between 11:00 and 13:00 from Sliema Ferries to Ghadira Bay, and between 16:00 and 20:00 from Ghadira Bay to Sliema Ferries. Route TD4, Cirkewwa – St Julian’s, will operate daily every hour between 10:30 and 13:30 from St Julian’s to Cirkewwa, and between 15:30 and 19:30 from Cirkewwa to St Julian’s. This means that in total there will be an additional 33 trips per day servicing these localities.
There will also be 11 additional trips between Sliema and Ghajn Tuffieha. Route 225 will increase the bus frequency starting at 09:30, while the new Tallinja Direct Route TD5 will operate daily every hour between 10:30 and 13:30 from Sliema Ferries to Ghajn Tuffieha and between 16:30 and 19:30 from Ghajn Tuffieha to Sliema Ferries.
Two new Tallinja Direct services are also operating from the airport to Sliema/St.Julian’s and Bugibba/Rabat. Route TD2 operates daily from the airport to Sliema/St.Julian’s and back every hour between 09:30 and 22:30. Route TD3 operates every hour between 09:40 and 21:40 from the airport to Bugibba via Rabat in both directions. There will be 40 daily trips on these routes.
The Tallinja Direct is a special service that runs in summer and offers passengers a faster way to travel. There is no extra charge when travelling with the 7-day Explore card, which gives customers unlimited travel for seven days for only €21. Tallinja card holders pay €2.00 per journey on Tallinja Direct routes while tickets purchased on the bus cost €2.50 per journey.
As requested by the Authority responsible for Transport in Malta, there will also be the following modifications to the route network:
- Route 58A is new route that will be introduced to operate hourly through Psaila Street in Birkirkara.
- The frequency for Route 58 (Valletta-Birkirkara) will change to every 30 minutes in peak time and every 60 minutes off peak.
- Route 103 (Bidnija - Naxxar) will be extended to Pembroke Park & Ride offering a connection from Pembroke and Bahar ic-Caghaq to Naxxar.
- Route 238 (Mgarr-Mater Dei) will be extended to San Gwann and Valletta, offering a connection between Mgarr and Naxxar and providing Xwieki residents with a service to Mater Dei Hospital and Valletta.
Due to the changes in the network, the Journey Planner on the publictransport.com.mt website and the tallinja app will experience some down time on Sunday 17 July 2016 while the routes and maps are updated accordingly.
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