Friday, 16th October 2009 - 12:03CET
Fares for reformed bus service announced
Updated: Adds fares in Gozo
The average daily cost for pensioners, students and daily bus commuters will remain unchanged even as the service is reformed and improved, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said today.
There will be different categories of fares: two-hour tickets, day tickets, day tickets purchased before 8 a.m., seven-day tickets, 30-day and 90-day tickets.
The fares for frequent travellers who buy tickets valid for for three months will on average go down by 2c per day than the present. Frequent travellers purchasing one-month tickets will see an increase of four cents a day.
Pensioners will see a reduction of seven cents per day if they are frequent travellers while student frequent travellers will see a reduction of 3c a day on three-month tickets and no change on a one month ticket.
OCCASIONAL TRAVELLERS
Occasional travellers will see an increase of 34c for a day ticket while those who buy their day ticket before 8 a.m. will see an increase of 2c per day.
The day tickets can be used for different trips on the same day.
Children under three will travel free. Children aged between 3 and 10 will have the same reduced rate as pensioners while children of between 11 and 16 will pay the same rate as students.
Two-hour tickets for the occasional adult travellers will cost €1.30. Day tickets for adult travellers will cost €2.10 adult and student and the day ticket bought before 8 a.m. will cost €1.40 for adults.
The seven day ticket will cost €14 for adults and € 9.80 for pensioners and children.
The 30-day fare will be €30 for adults, €21 for students and €30 for pensioners and children.
The 90-day ticket will cost €85 for adults and €60 for children.
Dr Gatt said these prices were the cheapest in Europe and tourists here for a week would be able to go around Malta on the buses for just €14.
The government’s aim, he said, was to substantially improve the bus service and raise patronage while eliminating the state subsidy.
The buses carried 32 million passengers in 2008. It is calculated that an increase of 30% in passenger numbers will yield profitability for the new operator.
The government will assist the new operator in the first year if patronage drops below the 2008 level, which is unlikely.
GOZO BUS FARES
With regard to Gozo, a two-hour ticket will cost 65c for adults and students and 20c for children and pensioners.
Day tickets will cost €1.10 for adults and students and 30c for children and pensioners. If purchased before 8 a.m., day tickets will cost 70c for adults and students and 30c for children and pensioners. A seven-day pass will cost €7 for adults and students and €4.90 for children and pensioner.
A 30-day ticket will cost €18 for adults, children and pensioners and €12 for students while a three-month pass will cost €42.50 for adults, children and pensioners and €30 for students.
See full details on pdf below:
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Comments
I am a student and work part time. I pay 20e petrol from going from home to university, and to work a week, not mentioning all the errands i do, . And most importantly I leave whenever i want, in the comfort of my car. If i purchase a 7 day ticket it will be 14euros. Well let us say the public bus service is improved... Will i have space in a bus to carry items needed for me to work? Will i be gauranteed time punctuality? When it is raining will i be gauranteed a proper bus shelter? With a full blown sun will i be gauranteed bus shelters which do not mimic greenhouses? What about night buses?
my only question is this: 'students' in malta still means if you're under 18? universtiy students count?
the system here is great - under 25 it's all discounted.
it's something that might be taken into consideration for Malta some times! students don't stop at 16 anymore! university students are still students! so at least keep it till 25 (with the longer university courses people leave uni at 23 or 24 sometimes)
728 E- 7 day covering 365 days
344 E- 90 day covering 365 days
384E - difference between 7 day ticket to 90 day ticket covering 365days
less complaining more brains? thanks
so let's experience the new service and then judge.
@ Chris Grillo - Right on! With you there, bikes are simple, fun and door to door, don't swear at you, always airconditioned
@ Nigel Claridge - Well they will probably do what they do now drive with the door open, which adds another 7.5cm to the width of the bus so they can really jam up narrow roads, yet make like its everybody elses fault. Close the door your bus will be slimmer.
Talking of slimmer, @ B Pollaco, get a bike, change in the loo, the girls will love the cycling shorts believe me, plus you'll be in charge of your own destiny, a lot fitter and a lot healthier (If you survive the traffic you'll live longer too)
Hopefully bus driving standards will come up too. If they are really going to be used 85% of the time, they won't have time to stop mid street for a chat. Do they really only get utilised12% of the time?
Do you know that in Malta we have speed cameras and that they are mushrooming too!
"There cannot be a good bus service in Malta unless there is COMPETITION"
This is not true.. this is all got to do with the education of the people and the mentality...
COMPETITION???? COMPETITION, telliqa fit trieq. Its all about respect and educated drivers..
If a family of 4 has 4 cars which you probably have .. how much Fuel do you spend in 90 days ..
It would be nice to see some sort of electronic card rather then a ticket .. like the UK have Japan have and probably most of the world have .. A simple card you can top up with the amount you like, once on the bus just place it against some devise and your done .. have a look here .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica
Easy,Fast and if you like you can share it. here in Japan we also use it to buy Drinks from machines..
hope this can be done well. simple stuff make all the difference ..
This would save the environment by cutting down on tickets that just end up in the garbage.
Of course it is assumed that such passes will entite the holder to unlimited travel on the Public Transport System as long as they are valid
I think you didn't realise that the a day ticket will cost you Eur 2.10 and you can travel all day.
so you will be paying only 10c extra for a better service.
Reminder the subsidies that the bus owners used to receive came from our taxes.
Privatisation + hike in prices = same old dismal services
If the service is improved and it is more reliable why not pay extra?
I will definately use public transport instead of using my car as it is less hectic at 7am in the morning.
Enjoy listening some music on my mp3 on the way and not worrying about parking and other stuff.
Sure there is a 30% increase but who cares? Driving stress to and from work will decrease more than 70% !!!!
Given the substantial increase in cost to travelers over the year mentioned by many people it seems most people will be either switching to a car,walking or riding a bike. Only problem is its too wet in winter and too hot in summer to walk and given how bad the roads are and how bad the drivers are a scooter or bike is not a realistic option (i tried for 2weeks and never again). Then there is the new vehicle tax system which has lead to an overall decrease in the cost of vehicles thereby prompting people to consider vehicles when they otherwise wouldn't. In short, too dangerous to ride, too hot/wet to walk, too expensive on the bus
and now cheaper to buy a car. 30% increase in travelers??? Tell em he's dreaming!
2 buses to go to work and 2 busses to home
50+50 / 50+50
1e + 1 e = 2
(from monday to friday...)
with the new reform...
1.30 x 4 = 5.20? hmm such a big influx and sauch with a very minimal wage!!! + taxes on other products, and eletrical and water bils....
thats it. then u can pick me up and drop me off to work (wait also there will be lots of traffic so beirng a escort so we whizz by the traffic like u do...
What does the Maltese commuters think?
Also think of automatic ticket vending points and resellers - for example from confectioneries, stationeries and the ones that are open for long like 'tal-Pastizzi". I saw this system working fine at Mykonos. By the way, I think you used the wrong wording..If purchased prior to 08:00 needs to be changed to If validated before 08:00am and by the way which clock will you be using?
As a sign of goodwill reform should should start forthwith, starting with bus passes so that we will not have to wait in the rain/sun for the driver to issue tickets, and give change, to every passenger.
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
Am I getting through to anyone?
Just use a bike... enjoy the nice err... clean air, improve your fitness. No petrol wasted, no stress....just be careful of the illegal poachers lead on your head! And wear the darned helmet....buses my backside....
Ye.. you are right, I am wondering the same thing
Right now, from a certain area in the south, it costs me €0.47 to get to Valletta. I can spend as much time as I want there, and then pay €0.47 to get back home -- less than €1 to spend a day in the city.
With the reformed bus service, I either pay €1.30 to have about an hour and a half (ish) in Valletta... or to get a day there (which, I would like to stress, used to cost €1) I would now have to pay €2.10.
Really?
Given your extensive comparative research I am sorry to point out that you have missed an important element (amongst others) - Size of market
The funny thing is, I was seriously considering using public transport to go to work once I become mobile. Now with these new fares, there's no way I'm going to do that.
To go to work and back everyday, I used two buses, for a total of 96 cents a day. Now it's going up to 2.10! More than double!
Man these nationalists are seriously trying not to get our votes anymore.
If Maltese people are ever going to start travelling by bus, this is only going to happen when it will be FREE. “Free” not as in “subsidised by the whole nation”; that is not free. Free because the non-paying passengers would be subsidised by passengers willing to pay, say 1€, to get on the bus first, because they’re in a hurry or don’t feel like queueing, and possibly an extra 1€ to get on/off not on a bus stop.
Even if only a small percentage are willing to pay for such priviledges, when calculated on the increased volume, it might well pay off. Furthermore, the increase in the service’s popularity would result in less cars clogging the streets, which would in turn render the service even more efficient, and hence more popular.
THIS is the way forward, and not increasing prices for no increase in value.
The way I understand it if one buys a day ticket he can go from Valletta to Cirkewa and back (for example) all day long.
Int bis-serjeta? There's no one-way or two-way here. A day ticket for example serves you for all trips during that day, so if you want to spend the whole day on a bus around Malta it would cost you €2.10
As for packetss of tickets being offered at a lower cost that's because loss of tickets is taken into account.
However the main complaint is the frequency of the journeys. At times one has to wait 45 minutes for a bus, then you observe three buses one following imediately the other, the first full the second half full the third nearly empty. This happens very often in Sliema; buses coming from Saint Andrew, in fact people are avoiding the trip Sliema Valletta. Only tourists seem to frequent the Sliema Valletta line
I also hope the main lines and express lines will have the facilities for carrying bicycles and bike racks be installed at all main termini.
We DID need a monthly bus pass though. Having each and every customer pay each and every time they board a bus was a complete waste of time and resources.
By the way... Dr. Gatt - cheapest in Europe?
I'm not going to mention cities such as Prague, Budapest or Sofia which provide reliable and punctual service at a much lower price (and before I'm told to compare like with like - the Czech Republic's or Slovenia's GDP per capita is slightly higher than others...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita ) and a wider array of transport options: more buses, night buses, trams, metro, etc
Want somewhere in Western Europe? How about Ghent or Antwerp where a monthly pass costs 24 Euros and a ten ride ticket is only 8 Euros (0.80c per ride, 1 ride = 1 hr)... and as low as 180 Euros per year if you buy a yearly pass... and that also includes access to the trams and metro network as well as night buses.
People who are used to travelling with their own car will be discouraged to use such a bus service, this definately will not help road congestion and pollution.
I am sure better ideas could have been copied from other countries. Example the use of a Malta resident family card to buy cheaper tickets.
With the new tariffs being proposed I will have to pay 1.30 * 4 * 52 = 270Euros.
That is an increase of 156 euros per year for me.
Nirraingrazzja lis-soru li ghalmitni l-maths baziku biex nara kif ser inlaqqat kanna f' dan il-kaz jiena...
Have you thought about the tour operators who have invested thousand on coaches, minibus drivers, taxi drivers, and car rental firms? Don't you think that this measure is going to push them further into bankruptcy. Is this the type of tourist we want to attract to our island. As a tax payer, I do not mind subsidising pensioners and students but subsidising tourists is simply not on. If a tourist chooses to use our buses, he should pay the price.
As a tax payer, I am fed up of seeing subsidies going to airlines, subsidies going to MTA for advertising, subsidies to hotels for refurbishments and for their utility bills. Whats the point in having these tourists in the first place if we are spending all these millions, then when he gets here, he just spends Euro14 busfare for the week.
Can you please tell us how much is the salary in vienna Mr Ripard?And also how do you compare the service?
Thanks.
My reasoning is based on today's price of €0.47c per one way ticket. So if I buy a ticket from St Venera to Valletta and back my total spend is €0.94c. The actual increase on this tariff is €1.16 if I buy a day ticket after 08:00am and €0.46c if i purchase a day ticket before 08:00am. Why is the quoted source quoting 34c and 2c, when in reality an occassional commuter will see an increase of €1.16c and €0.46c??
The reason people use their cars is not the bus fare, but the reliability of the buses. Nothing has been said about how reliability is going to be drastically increased.
If it was 5 Euro a week for a 7 day ticket. I would.
I work at luqa and live at Birzebbugia. I use my own car , travel 13.5 km a day for 5 working days and spend €4.5 a week to trave to work -- equivalent to €20 a month.
Is it me who's dumb or shall I continue to use my own car???
Cheapest in Europe for whom?. In the United Kingdom pensioners travel for free after 9 am on weekdays and all day and night on weekends,on all buses and trains.
In comparison, here in Vienna (which is almost double the size of Malta) we pay €1.85 for a single trip, €3.50 for a day, €14 for a week (same as Malta), €49.50 for a month and €480 (I think) for a year. Public transport is available from 05.00 to 00.30, apart from a night system, for which there is an additional charge. However, there public transport network includes Buses, trams, the underground and trains, all of which can be made use of with just one ticket.
Do you think the govt is going to introduce a new service with better routes and better service so that bus users will spend less???
Do you think that all tourists coming to Malta all have better wages than we do???
Are the drivers going to change too ? I hope the increase in bus fares will help the Transport System find enough money to give training in 'manners and ethiquette to the bus drivers' ...
not all, but the majority of them are unfit to appear in public ...
I travel a lot and am always pleased to notice that bus drivers in other cities drive their buses, feeling as if they are pilots on aeroplanes ... totally proud of their job ...
In any case, the fares announced are way too much for a normal salary.
Will the wage increase cover for the difference in the bus fares?????
I cannot see a whooping increase of 34 cents for occasionaltravellers as 'b'xejn' as you put it without taking into equation our very very low wages.
worth it !
Mhux ovvja li jekk ser isir aktar investiment biex is-servizz tat-trasport ikun aktar efficjenti ser inhallsu aktar.
Irridu naghzlu, jew tal-linja ser jaqghu bicciet, jaslu dejjem tard u b'servizz medjokri jew servicc efficjenti li jhajjrek tuzah flok tuza l-karozza tieghek ! Jien nippreferi nhallas ftit iktar ( u veru jien kont qed nistenna prezzijiet hafna ghola ghas-servizz li ser jigi offrut ).
Well done !
Austin's measures are always expensive.
Unfortunately in Malta there is no proper moderated taxi service which caters for local citizens, so traveling at night without a car is not possible (unless you are ready to pay a lot of money to use a taxi). How about also reforming the local taxi service by imposing standard fairs based on the distance traveled?
Our fares may be the cheapest but so are wages which are among the lowest in Europe!
So please compare like like!
Dear Minister probably you right but as far as I know the salaries in Malta are one of the lowest. A tourits would certainly find it cheaper on the % of his income. But when compared to the Maltese income it is much higher. It would be more honest to say what the % of the price of a product is in relation to the minimum wage and not directly from one country to another
Points of sale will be at Valletta only or at all terminus. How will the inspectors be able to verify, just by showing a card with a phoro on it or no photo hence the card could be borrowed.
Will the tickets be bought in packets according to the frequency of travelling.
A lot of questions will crop up surely considering the number of schemes.
Schemes should have a reason to justify them and not just considered how to collect money.
I propose 3 things:
1. All buses should have datatracking systems so their movements can be monitored by a special administrative centre.
2. All buses must have an audio and visual system announcing the current stop and the next stop. Mainly for tourists.
3. Comino should be included in the reform. A special vehicle for the rough roads on Comino should used during the summer months to offer a form of transport between the blue lagoon, hotel, Sta Marija Bay and any other place of interest for tourists. Water Taxi is another option of course.
If I work Monday to Friday and catch a single bus to and from work, my current expense over a day is €0.94.
With a pre-8 am ticket (at €1.40), my cost will increase by €.46 per day/ €9.2 per month.
With a 90 day ticket (which should be the cheapest option) I shall be paying for 64 working days in which I travel and 26 in which I will not (since on average we work for 5/7ths of a week), and therefore my expenditure will be going up by €0.39 per day or €24.83 over the 90 day period.
If the government wants people with jobs to use buses instead of cars, a solution needs to be found for us. A ticket which is used over 90 days bus is only valid on weekdays might be a more realistic solution...
If someone spent more time thinking about realistic scenarios rather than finding positive spins we might benefit more in the long run. In the meantime I'll drive to work, it's cheaper.
As far as I know a little has changed excluding the bus fares.
I personnally and probably the majority of the bus customers agree with me that it is time to firstly improve the system and afterwords can discuss about any fares increases.
For once lets think about the customer first!!
A fundamental question remains - why do we always hike prices with a promise of an improved service, but always fail to see this improvement happening? Isn't it about time we start seeing improvement before paying for it?
The use of such words as "Average", "2Hour Ticket", "Daily Ticket" etc etc...try to hide all of the increases which we consumers and bus travellers will have to bear.
Thank you once again GonziPN.
Efficient & reliable service at a reasonable price...