Updated | Rocky first day for new payment system on public transport

Malta Public Transport apologises for inconveniences and instructs drivers to allow passengers to board for free

Many report that they have not yet received their Tallinja cards in the post, despite having applied for them in advance
Many report that they have not yet received their Tallinja cards in the post, despite having applied for them in advance

Commuters faced problems this morning as the new bus payment system experienced some technical issues, leaving the new Tallinja cards unusable. 

A number of commuters reported that their payment cards were not being recognised by the readers installed on buses, despite having sufficient credit loaded on their cards. Most ended up not paying for their trip. 

Meanwhile, the Malta Public Transport apologised for the inconveniences caused by the transition process and said that it has briefed its drivers to allow passengers to board for free.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the company said that thousands of passengers used their tallinja card today, noting that “overall, the system is working.”

The company added that it is “generally satisfied” with the changeover process which involved the installation of 300 new ticketing machines and vehicle tracking systems on all buses, and the training of over 800 drivers with the new systems and fare structure.

“As with any transition, it is expected to experience some minor technical problems, especially in such a major change,” it said, adding that the company is confident that these will be resolved quickly.

Acknowledging that a “small number of instances were in fact reported,” Malta Public Transport said that drivers have been briefed to allow the passengers to board for free.

“However the company has received some complaints where passengers may have still been charged the fare. Malta Public Transport apologised for this inconvenience, and assured the public that all these tickets will be refunded.”

While noting that technical problems which impeded customers from topping up their card this morning have been resolved, the company said it has increased the amount of call centre personnel for the next few days to deal with any enquiries that may be made.

Due to the quality of some photos that were taken at registration stage, the company issued temporary cards and cardholders will be contacted by Malta Public Transport to organise a free replacement of this card.

A significant number of the personalised cards have not yet been delivered to their recipients, prompting complaints from commuters who will have to pay €2 for a two-hour ticket. The new payment system was launched today.

The payment system, which is modelled on touch-to pay systems like the London Oyster card, was hailed as a positive measure that would cut waiting and travel times by discouraging the purchase of tickets on the buses themselves. However it seems that the system needs a little more work to reach the promised standard of efficiency.