The tallinja card issues seem to be improving and there was more good news for Malta Public Transport as a batch of new buses arrived from Turkey this morning.
A total of 40 new buses, painted in MPT colours, arrived from Turkey and were unloaded at Laboratory Wharf. Another 102 will arrive in batches over the summer. The buses are being built by Turkish company Otokar. They are 9.6 meters long and slightly narrower than the majority of the existing fleet.
The new buses are low floor, providing easy access for wheelchair and pushchairs. They have two doors, intended to allow people to board and alight efficiently therefore reducing boarding time. The buses have a capacity of 60 passengers.They are equipped with Euro 6 engines,the very latest standards for environmentally friendly public transport. The first bus entered service at 4.30pm and the rest are expected to be in action by the end of the weekend.
Malta Public Transport also confirmed that there was a significant improvement in the overall ticketing system today. More people used their cards successfully and the number of complaints reduced.
Registrations for the tallinja card continued to be received online, and with a specially set up kiosk on the “Biskuttin” in the Valletta Terminal, with over 2,500 registrations being registered in the morning alone, bringing the total to over 145,000 registrations by noon today. “We will continue to dedicate our resources to assist the public in applying for their tallinja card, and getting more acquainted with the new system”, said Daniel Grech.
In a statement, Transport Malta said it is continuing to closely monitor the launch of the new Tallinja Card system and has noted significant improvement. Following meetings held yesterday between Minister Joe Mizzi, Transport Malta Chairman James Piscopo and the Malta Public Transport’s management team, the operator has taken positive steps towards rectifying yesterday’s operational issues that some commuters faced, particularly in Valletta, said TM.
Transport Malta noted that waiting times for customer service at the information points at various termini and particularly at Valletta, were significantly lower than those experienced yesterday. This was primarily due to the operator’s deployment of more customer care officials, better organization and improved security.
Transport Malta said it will continue to be vigilant and is still monitoring the situation relentlessly. The Authority is also pursuing the operator to ensure that pending Tallinja card applications, problematic cards and new applications are processed in the shortest possible time possible.