Getting around Malta: the bus, the Tallinja card, driving on a foreign licence, the ferry

You do not need a car in Malta, and from 2027 most non-EU workers will pay for the bus they used to ride free. Here is what the transport costs, what the Budget changed, and what driving on your home licence now involves.

The bus

Malta Public Transport runs the island: day routes, night routes, express Tallinja Direct routes, and the Gozo link. Rush hour is slow; the bus app shows live times.

Fares, cash or contactless: €2.00 a single journey on day routes in winter (18 October 2026 to 12 June 2027 for this season), valid two hours; €2.50 in summer; €3.00 at night and on Tallinja Direct; €3.50 on the TD1 airport express.

The Tallinja card: a personalised card with your photo. Registration €25 for adults, €5 for children and concessions. With it, travel on day and night routes has been free under the government scheme, with Tallinja Direct excluded.

From January 2027: the Budget retains free travel for Maltese citizens, EU citizens resident in Malta and long-term residents. Other non-EU residents pay the fare with the card. Budget it: twenty working days at €2.00 each way is €80 a month in winter, €100 in summer.

The ferry

Harbour ferries link Sliema and the Three Cities with Valletta in minutes and are the pleasant way to cross. Gozo Channel runs the 25-minute crossing from Ċirkewwa to Gozo; a fast ferry runs from Valletta. Fares are on the operators’ sites.

Taxis and ride apps

Ride-hailing apps work across the island and are cheap by European standards for short trips. Many drivers are non-EU workers on a Single Permit; the driving-job permit is one of the exemptions in the new licence charge.

Driving on your own licence

• EU and EEA licences are valid in Malta.
• Non-EU licences: usable for up to 12 months from entry to Malta, and under the Budget 2027 measure the 12 months do not restart when you leave and return. After that, an administrative charge of €83 a month was announced for Category B and B1 licence holders issued or renewed from the relevant date. The summaries disagree on exemptions: KPMG lists EU and EEA citizens, long-term residents and spouses, UK, Australian and UAE citizens, and holders of permits for driving jobs; MaltaToday mentions the driving-job exemption. The legal notice will settle it. Converting to a Maltese licence is handled by Transport Malta; whether your country’s licence can be exchanged without a test depends on agreements it lists.
• For work: driving light passenger transport vehicles needs a Maltese or EU licence; Identità’s checklist says so. Other vehicles can be driven on your home licence as the permit application allows.

Buying a car

Possible, expensive, and slow to park. Registration tax, insurance, an annual licence, and a space in a town built before cars. Most workers wait a year, then decide. Scooters and e-bikes are common and dangerous on roads where drivers are not looking for them; wear the helmet.

The airport

One airport, Luqa, in the south-centre. Buses from Valletta and the main towns; the TD1 express; taxis at a fixed tariff. Thirty minutes from most places outside rush hour.

Check this at the source

• Malta Public Transport, Tallinja card: registration fees, free scheme. https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/tallinja-card
• Malta Public Transport, fares. https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/fares
• KPMG, Budget 2027: free transport and the driving licence charge. https://kpmg.com/mt/en/insights/2026/10/malta-budget-2027.html
• MaltaToday, Budget 2027. https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/budget-2027/145287/budget_2027__more_fees_less_benefits_for_thirdcountry_nationals
• Transport Malta: driving licences and exchange. https://www.transport.gov.mt/