Bus 20+
Press Release 14 JANUARY 2019:All those who reach the age of between 14 and 20 years during the year 2019 can benefit from free public transport for the year. Those who are older and are full time students can travel by bus for free as well.
The scheme is one of the measures of the Budget for 2019 and applies for normal day service, night service and special services. You need to be in possession of a tallinja card to benefit, so if you don’t have one yet, register for a new card and the administration fee will be waived.
Once in possession of a
Terms and Conditions
Free Travel for 14 – 20 year olds and 20+ Tallinja Student Card holders
1. Introduction
The “Free Travel for 14 – 20 year olds and 20+ Tallinja Student Card holders” Scheme (the “Scheme”) is an initiative launched by the Government of Malta and is one of the Government’s budget measures for 2019.
Through the Scheme those customers turning 14 to 20 during 2019, or holders of the Student Tallinja Card aged 21 years and above, will benefit from free travel on the public transport service offered by Malta Public Transport during 2019.
Customers will be refunded for the travel credit used in the previous month.
Any single individual may not benefit from more than €312 in credit refunds.
The Customer will no longer be eligible for the Scheme once the total spend of the individual customer reaches €312, or turns 21 in 2019, unless the customer holds a Student Tallinja Card.
2. Eligibility
2.1. The following holders of a Tallinja Card will be eligible for the scheme:
a. Customers who are 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 years old
b. Customers who will turn 14 years old in 2019 – Eligibility starts from their 14th birthday, and shall continue for a period of 12 months from when they turn 14.
c. Customers who are 20 years old – Eligibility ends on their 21st birthday in 2019.
d. Customers holding a Student Tallinja Card aged 21 and above.
2.2. Eligible customers must be in possession of one of these personalised tallinja cards: Student, Adult, Gozo or Concession Card to benefit from the scheme. For the sake of clarity, holders of a non-personalised card (Explore Adult, Explore Child and 12 Single Day Journeys) and holders of a cash ticket do not benefit from the Scheme.
2.3. Beneficiaries of the Scheme will travel on the public transport service for free if they possess a Student Tallinja Card, or on the day of their 14th birthday (those who are already 14 will start benefitting as of 1 January 2019) and ending on the 20th< birth year, 364th day at 23.59.59 hours.
2.4. All route types qualify for the Scheme including (but not limited to) day routes, night routes and special routes but exclude tallinja direct route or any trips on the Valletta Ferry Service.
2.5. New customers, those who are not in possession of a tallinja card yet, may still benefit from the Scheme but must first register for a new tallinja card by following the same process as for a normal registration. The new customer is only entitled to travel for free once in possession of the new tallinja card. Allowance must be made for the delivery of the tallinja card in the case of applications for a new tallinja card by non-tallinja card holders. No refunds in cash or credit may be claimed for the period between the customer’s 14thbirthday and the date of receipt of the tallinja card.
2.6. Registrations made at one of the Sales Offices will attract the standard administration fee of €10.00. The postage fee, minimum top up and standard administration fee upon registration shall also apply. The standard administration fee of €10 will be refunded as per clause 4.1 below.
3. Application for Scheme
3.1. The eligible customers who are in possession of a tallinja card will automatically start benefitting from the Scheme if they already have a Student Tallinja Card, or, with effect from their 14th birthday, or else from 1 January 2019 if they are already 14 but less than 21 years old (unless in possession of a Student tallinja card). The birthday that will be applied is the one in the database of Malta Public Transport which was submitted by the customer upon application for the tallinja card.
4. Refund of credit consumed whilst travelling
4.1.The €10 registration fee paid by customers who in 2019 applied for a tallinja card for the first time, will be refunded as credit on their card throughout the following month.
4.2. The customer will be refunded the credit consumed during the previous month. The credit consumed will be refunded to the customer’s card within the first 7 calendar days of the following month.
4.3. With regard to the first such refund in the case the customer is turning 14 in 2018, the customer’s card will be refunded the spend from the customer’s birthday up to and including the last day of the month. This shall go on up to the 15th birth year, 364th day at 23.59.59 hours.
4.4. With regard to the last such refund of the Scheme in the case of 20 year olds, the customer’s card will be refunded the credit from the beginning of the month up to the 20th birth year, 364th day at 23.59.59 hours, which refund shall be done up to the first 7 days of the following month.
4.5. The customer will be refunded only for chargeable trips. Transfers or trips made whilst in capping or other free trips will not be refunded.
4.6. The customer is responsible to ensure that the card has sufficient funds to travel.
5. Expiry
5.1. The Scheme will automatically end on the day before the customer turns 21 years old, unless terminated prematurely as explained in Clause 5.3. below.
5.2. Following expiration of the Scheme, any trip made by the customer will be charged as per the terms and conditions governing the use of the tallinja card.
5.3. The Scheme may be terminated prematurely in one of the following cases:
1. The customer spends €312.
2. The customer is deemed as making fraudulent transactions with his/her tallinja card.
6. Other Refunds
6.1. The customer may claim a refund if the tallinja card develops a fault which prevents the customer from benefitting from the Scheme and, as a result, the customer must purchase cash tickets on the bus. Such tickets will be refunded in full following the free replacement of the faulty tallinja card. Refunds will be credited to the customer’s tallinja card. No cash refunds will be given. In such cases, no other compensation will be given.
6.2. The customer may not claim a refund for any cash tickets purchased in the following cases:
- If the tallinja card develops a fault as a result of misuse or the card is lost or the card is stolen or the card has reached its type expiry and card has not been updated or the customer is otherwise prevented from benefitting from the Scheme.
2. If the customer is a holder of a Student Tallinja Card which has an active €55 Student Pass at the time of application for the Scheme AND the customer is no longer eligible for a student card following the expiration of the Scheme, the customer is not entitled to a refund on a pro-rata basis based on the number of days remaining until the expiration of the Student Pass.
3. If a customer is a holder of a Student tallinja card which has an active €55 Student Pass, the balance of remaining days till the expiry of the pass will be lost and will not be refunded.
4. If the Scheme is prematurely terminated.
In order to apply for a refund, the cash ticket purchased on the bus must either be left at one of Malta Public Transport Sales Offices in Victoria Terminus, Bugibba Terminus, Malta International Airport Arrivals Hall, Valletta Terminus or Sliema Ferries Sales Office, or else sent to:
Customer Care Dept.
Malta Public Transport Services (Operations) Ltd.,
Mdina Road,
Qormi
