General Info
Although the government is trying to get things into order lately, you will often find yourself confused on whether the bus you just took was 20 minutes late or 10 minutes early. During the summer, be prepared to experience some body on body action, since the buses are often overpacked – and you should consider yourself lucky, because you might have ended up waiting there for another, or another, or another one (depending on how many bus drivers would refuse to take you in).
Airco is to be found in all the buses. I find it handy to carry a light scarf or a jacket with me even during the hot days, since the difference between the inside and outside temperature can easily reach up to 10 – 15 °C.
Malta Public Transport currently operates around 360 buses, all in white and green color, easily recognizeable amongst all the private coaches or hop in/hop off busses. All of them are also low floor and easily accessible using wheelchairs (wheelchair ramp).
Most buses operate daily between 05:30am and 11pm, while a night service runs on Friday and Saturday nights as well as on public holidays and feast days – not every day!
Buses are equipped with audio and visual systems which announce the name of the next bus stop. If you wish to get off, you should press one of many signal buttons available all around the bus.
Tickets
Visitors
Single standard ticket
- For 1,50€ during the Winter season and 2,00€ during the Summer season (Summer rates apply between mid-June and mid-October), can be used to get to any destination within two hours, including interchanging. Oficially, they cannot be used for return journeys, yet often you can get away with it. To be purchased from the driver.
- Night Service for 3€
Discounted bus cards
- (15€) 12 Single Day Journeys card offers flexibility with reduced fares, valid for 1 year
- (Adult 21€ / Child up to 10 years old 15€) 7-Day Explore Card provides unlimited bus travel for one week
- (39€) ExplorePlus Card gives you unlimited bus travel for 7 days from the moment of validation, plus on the top of that you get 2 trips on the Valletta ferry. Then you can choose either a full-day tour on the hop-on, hop-off buses OR instead take a boat trip to Comino
All of these cards to be purchased from Sales and Information Offices as well as from a number of partner resellers across Malta and Gozo.
All the tickets are valid both on Malta and Gozo. Comino has no public transport options, although you can find some private jeep or minivan shuttles there.
Regular users
- Apply for your Tallinja Card here
- You will have to pay a registration fee of 10€, which is non-refundable in cases of rejected applications.
- A minimum Top Up amount of €20 is also charged upon application.
- Have your ID ready as well a passport kind of a photo (digital, unless you are a Maltese e-ID card holder and choose to give them your e-ID Card document number, they will be able to take the photo from the National Identity Database Management System or the Car Licensing Database.)
- You can also apply for your card in any Sales and Information Office, upon downloading an application form from their website (unfortunately, I was not able to find a link that worked yet).
- Upon boarding a bus simply touch the reader located near the driver with your tallinja card to validate your journey. Enter via front door only.
- Single standard “ticket” will cost you 0,75€ whole year round, valid for 2 hours. The total cost per month won’t exceed 26€ (or 10€ for Gozo residents only using Gozitan routs) per month.
- Cards can be topped up with credit quite easily either online, over the phone, or at any of Public Transport sales outlets or at any MaltaPost post office.
- The credit will not expire.
- Prices are even lower for children, students and elderly or handicapped citizens.
Timetables
All the timetables to be found here
Trip Planner
Plan your trips either via Googlemaps or use the official Journey Planner here
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