New bus fares and cards

well considering the website is telling me my saver card number doesnt exist its a good start

The only thing in Malta that works first time is the expectation that it won't!

Terry

It's looks great in principle but i worry it will put tourists off using the bus which will increase road traffic ..
But we'll see

Just tried to register but it does not recognise my EID card number ( and in fact the EID shown is nothing like mine).

Ahh well, this is Malta.

Terry

Didn't recognise ours either gonna have to do it in person I think

Even at Valletta they don't know they registered me though so we'll see

sounds like organised chaos

Just played about with the registration form and if you uncheck the box for Maltese ID card number it will ask for your passport number instead. Then on the second page it is just address and contact details and on the third you upload photo and scan of passport and/or ID card (eResudence card?)

Have not tried it yet as I need to do photo first.

Ray

It's going to be an absolute bloody rip-off for tourists again. How many are going to register for a tallinja card if they are only here for a long weekend or even a week? If they do apply for one at the airport or bus terminals, how long is it going to take until it's ready to pick up?

Until they have one they'll be paying €2 for a single trip instead of 75c. That's even worse than the old prices Arriva used to have for Resident vs Non-Resident tickets. Of course, if it's possible to get a tallinja card within 2 hours of applying for one, then it won't be a problem, but I'm not optimistic.

What do I need to do from now to July to make sure I have my tallinja card?

You need to register for your tallinja card by visiting www.tallinja.com or by calling on 2122 2000. You will be notified to collect your card form your Local Council as of June.


So which Local Council are tourists going to go to? The one closest to their hotel?

On An Island wrote:

It's going to be an absolute bloody rip-off for tourists again. How many are going to register for a tallinja card if they are only here for a long weekend or even a week? If they do apply for one at the airport or bus terminals, how long is it going to take until it's ready to pick up?

Until they have one they'll be paying €2 for a single trip instead of 75c. That's even worse than the old prices Arriva used to have for Resident vs Non-Resident tickets. Of course, if it's possible to get a tallinja card within 2 hours of applying for one, then it won't be a problem, but I'm not optimistic.

Similar to Scotland then, I have a bus pass issued in England but I can't use it in Scotland!! ( Unless things have changed in the last couple of years)

Ray

looks like the start of yet another farcical situation

F0xgl0ve wrote:

Similar to Scotland then, I have a bus pass issued in England but I can't use it in Scotland!! ( Unless things have changed in the last couple of years)

Ray

It's the same for Welsh and Scottish OAP bus passes, they can't use them in England. To be fair, they have to stop somewhere. The English probably get a better deal than the Welsh, given the respective size of the countries.

Looking at the Oyster Card in London, you do get good discounts on that too compared to regular paper tickets, so it is similar to the new Maltese scheme. It's possible to order Visitor Oyster Cards before you arrive though. As long as you can do the same here then it's a fair system. Or if you can apply for one as soon as you land at the airport and have in your hand within 10 minutes, not 5 days later.

The simplest system for anyone resident in Malta/Gozo would be to walk in to your local post office and get a card, having shown your eResidence card or Maltese ID, If the bus card is issued with details from either then as long as you carry your 'means of Identification' you are OK!

'PS'  I don't think anyone has told Malta Transport yet that there isn't a 'Kiosk' in Victoria, the bus drivers have that as there own private rest room!

Ray

Got email to say my forms been submitted ... I believe tickets are only 2€ if you intend to purchase on bus

But your right it is a bit of an expense for tourists either way

Done the new bus card so easy to do even my husband can do it 

maltablues9 wrote:

Done the new bus card so easy to do even my husband can do it 

It will be interesting to see how your application turns out. Assuming you are still not resident here I can't see how you could fill the form out without either a Maltese ID card or using a passport and a Maltese address?

Also I don't see how you could collect your passes from the local council office when you don't have one!

Ray

  I live and work in Malta just because it says St Helens that's where I was born

Just applied for mine. Where the form requires an id card number, the residence document number was deemed to be not valid. Instead I used my old id card number (the number printed on the back of the card) and that was accepted. I received an automatic confirmation, which includes a reference number.

All very efficient.

GPLW wrote:

Just applied for mine. Where the form requires an id card number, the residence document number was deemed to be not valid. Instead I used my old id card number (the number printed on the back of the card) and that was accepted. I received an automatic confirmation, which includes a reference number.

All very efficient.

When I tried (my application is for a concession 60+ card) it would accept the id number from the back of the eResidence card on the  first page of the form but not on the later page (where it actually showed a sample of the number on the reverse of a Maltese National ID card.)

Ray

Yes it's not set up for e-residence cards but the Valletta bus terminal office skipped that step and it went through ok

rob,i done the same,i have my ref,no dave

robpw2 wrote:

Yes it's not set up for e-residence cards but the Valletta bus terminal office skipped that step and it went through ok

It's a shame we don't have a kiosk in Gozo, I think it used to be where the office is in the bus station but that is more like a drivers' rest room now with no admittance for passengers!

I can see a trip to Valletta being necessary (and then wait for 8 months for a card, like the eResidence ).

Ray

F0xgl0ve wrote:

robpw2 wrote:

Yes it's not set up for e-residence cards but the Valletta bus terminal office skipped that step and it went through ok

It's a shame we don't have a kiosk in Gozo, I think it used to be where the office is in the bus station but that is more like a drivers' rest room now with no admittance for passengers!

I can see a trip to Valletta being necessary (and then wait for 8 months for a card, like the eResidence ).

Ray

Just been in to Victoria and they have actually got someone there doing the registration so we will go back tomorrow and register.(I was told you only need your eResidence card and no need for a photo.)

Having said that as a senior it is just as easy to carry on getting a daily ticket as required for 50c.

Ray

Same here, e-ID number not accepted. But with a foreign ID number, it went through and we got Application Ref. numbers.

We have just done ours at Victoria bus station office, only requirement was eResidence card.
The information was taken from the card and put on to a hand held tablet in about 2 minutes, but no Ref.No.

Ray

just did mine at Valetta using my residency card.... however I asked on behalf of a few friends if they would accept a passport and was politely told NO. now in my view this again puts Malta at odds with the EU about eu citizens being treated differently..

for the purposes of this lets assume one is British...you come to Malta, rent a property with a lease, apply/FIGHT for the RHA (trust me I had to FIGHT hard for it) then go and apply for e residence...between signing the lease and actually having the E residence card in my hand, last year, took from march till early june.

I agree with Rob (election year lol) there may well be a facility in JULY to purchase advance tickets or temporary swipe cards to avoid queues paying on the bus. imagine the buses to the north with tourists in a que to buy a ticket on the bus. it would be as slow as it is now.

redders_61 wrote:

just did mine at Valetta using my residency card.... however I asked on behalf of a few friends if they would accept a passport and was politely told NO. now in my view this again puts Malta at odds with the EU about eu citizens being treated differently..

for the purposes of this lets assume one is British...you come to Malta, rent a property with a lease, apply/FIGHT for the RHA (trust me I had to FIGHT hard for it) then go and apply for e residence...between signing the lease and actually having the E residence card in my hand, last year, took from march till early june.

I agree with Rob (election year lol) there may well be a facility in JULY to purchase advance tickets or temporary swipe cards to avoid queues paying on the bus. imagine the buses to the north with tourists in a que to buy a ticket on the bus. it would be as slow as it is now.

If you access the website to register you can uncheck the box for ID card and it will then accept your passport number from there you fill in contact details and upload a photo and copy of passport.

Presumably your friends are not registered as residents so I would have thought they should get that process underway asap. If they are tourists then it's no different than going to the UK and having to pay full fare. As I understand it the price of individual tickets is the same for Maltese as tourists.

Don't know why you had hassle with RHA as it only requires name, address,contact details and copy of passport. As at that point you are not a resident they will give you a provisional certificate which is sufficient for eResidence application.

Getting our eResidence card originally  took eight months, we did it again last year because of address change and it took 2 weeks.

I am expecting a long wait for the new bus card although as a 60+ it makes little difference.

Ray

when I accessed the website it wouldn't work at all but ok I tell him to try with his passport. as for RHA long story short they didn't want to give it to me pointed me to private insurance or S1. I had to take my maltese landlord with me to explain the s1 didn't apply to me and I couldn't get health insurance as I had a history of cancer. I then had to email the boss with chapter and verse on my cancer etc and then and only then did they OK the RHA and that was just the interim certificate.

as for my friends one is polish and doesn't want an id card. one is german and cant get an s1 so no card available (he is state retirement age too) and one is indian with an Italian residency card,

redders_61 wrote:

as for my friends one is polish and doesn't want an id card. one is german and cant get an s1 so no card available (he is state retirement age too) and one is indian with an Italian residency card,

If your Polish friend does not want an eResidence card then he can't really expect to have the Maltese government issue him a Bus card either.

Your German friend could get an eResidence card and a bus card, not having an S1 simply means he has to get health cover another way.

And your Indian friend is a TCN and his Italian residency card means nothing in Malta. He would have to go down the route of TCN application which might not be easy.

I guess all three could try applying by the Passport route but I don't know what questions might be asked as technically all three are either classed as tourists or not legal by Maltese regulations!

Guys apparently if you enter in the maltese id card box the number ending in a on the back of your e-residence card  and then on the next page where it says document number enter the number after MT on the front of the card this should be all you need to do to apply

hope this helps people

they have updated the website to show this too  as i have just applied for my husbands

Here we go again. Quelle surprise 

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi … 000.566001

On An Island wrote:

Here we go again. Quelle surprise 

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi … 000.566001

they have sorted this out already as i have just applied see my above comment

What about tourists? How can they provide a Maltese address if they are not resident here? Or will the name of the hotel be sufficient? I'm still not convinced.

I agree but they haven't mentioned tourists yet - let's give them a chance to reveal all

I hope that they will have temporary cards that people can purchase but we shall see

On An Island wrote:

What about tourists? How can they provide a Maltese address if they are not resident here? Or will the name of the hotel be sufficient? I'm still not convinced.

Unless the tourists were here for a month there is no point in registering anyway.
As daily and weekly tickets are only available to concessions (60+ etc.)  I wouldn't think many tourists would want to buy a monthly top up.

At the moment there is no difference in fares between residents (non concession) and tourists on the basic single journey tickets, though it does seem crazy to stop the day tickets.

An over the counter weekly ticket available to all would be a sensible option.

Ray

yes I think nearer july once all the cards are sorted and issued they are going to have to think hard how to get tickets to tourists etc. its not just kiosks it is also ticket machines, what will they dispense and at what fare structure. was chatting last night and consensus is they will sell a swipe ticket at 26 euros that lasts for a month. or at least that is the most sensible solution for all concerned

redders_61 wrote:

yes I think nearer july once all the cards are sorted and issued they are going to have to think hard how to get tickets to tourists etc. its not just kiosks it is also ticket machines, what will they dispense and at what fare structure. was chatting last night and consensus is they will sell a swipe ticket at 26 euros that lasts for a month. or at least that is the most sensible solution for all concerned

I think we can rule that out then!

Terry