The number of children and Gozo residents using public transport between 2020 and 2024 has more than doubled, according to a parliamentary question.
PN MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici asked Transport Minister Chris Bonett about the number of children, students, adults, and Gozitans with Tallinja cards who used public transport during 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Minister Bonett revealed that in 2020 – the year the pandemic began – 3,057 children used public transport. By 2024, this number more than doubled, reaching 6,949. Interestingly, the number of children using public transport dropped to 2,035 in 2023, a notable decrease compared to other years.
Similarly, the number of Gozo residents using public transport also more than doubled during the same period. In 2020, 3,054 Gozitans with a Tallinja card used the service. By 2024, this figure rose steadily to 6,597.
Usage by students and adults also registered significant growth. The number of students using public transport rose from 30,972 in 2020 to 46,523 in 2024. Meanwhile, adult users nearly doubled from 89,420 in 2020 to 174,419 in 2024.
In December 2024, the Prime Minister had flagged the growing popularity of public transport among Maltese and Gozitans. “Tallinja card data shows that uptake by the Maltese and Gozitan public is increasing, and they are using public transport much more than they used to,” he had said.
Public bus rides became free for all residents of Malta with a valid Tallinja card in 2022 – a factor that likely contributed to increased usage.