Free public transport now reversing pandemic decline

Despite the introduction of free public transport, users during the first two weeks of October remain 9% lower than the same period in 2019, when passengers had reached an all-time high before the COVID pandemic.

In a clear indication that free public transport remains a powerful incentive for people to use the service,  the rate of usage represents a sharp improvement over September, when passengers were 24% lower than the same month in 2019.

Transport ministry officials see this as a very encouraging sign that free public transport has accelerated the recovery to pre-pandemic levels.

Compared to September 2022, passengers using public transport shot up by 14% in the first week of October, up from 7% on the first day when the service started to operate. The number of Tallinja card registrations also increased by 6,700 in the month preceding the introduction of the fully free service.

But the surge in users in October is partly attributed to the opening of schools and post-secondary institutions, which always results in a seasonal increase in the number of passengers.

So far, statistics seem to confirm predictions made by the authorities before the introduction of the service, with expectations being that by the end of 2022 the number of passengers will rise back to 2019 figures when public transport usage had reached record levels.

If this aim is achieved by the end of 2022, it would reverse a sharp decline in usage during the pandemic which has also conditioned public attitudes towards public transportation.

A Eurobarometer survey conducted in April 2021 revealed that 42% of Maltese respondents will be using public transport less than they did before the onset of the pandemic. Only 27% of all respondents in the 27 EU member states gave a similar response. Significantly 34% of Maltese replied that they will be “much less likely” to use public transport compared to 16% of respondents in all member states. Among all EU member states only the Hungarians were less inclined to use public transport than the Maltese.