Technological modernization of Malta’s public-transport system

The Malta Public Transport (MPT) company of Group CMCXXI, belonging to the Cosmen family, has won the contract for modernization of Malta’s public transport buses. To carry it out the company has turned to GMV, both companies thereby consolidating their international leadership in public passenger transport.

MPT has phased far-reaching innovations into this modernization process, including the purchase of 143 new low-floor buses for easy access by wheelchair users; these buses have been fitted with Euro 6 engines, special air conditioning and a complete advanced fleet management system plus a state-of-the-art ticketing system. These brand-new features have been brought into the whole fleet of urban and interurban buses on the islands of Malta and Gozo, comprising nearly 400 buses in all.

GMV has taken part in this project by providing the advanced fleet-management and video surveillance system (SAE-CCTV in Spanish initials) and the electronic fare-collection system. The SAE-CCTV system is GPS-, 3G- and WiFi-enabled with door sensors, connection to analog and IP video-surveillance cameras with a recording system and online streaming. There is also an emergency system based on an emergency pedal, facilitating voice and messenger communications between the control center and the bus plus a powerful passenger-information system with broadcasting of visual and audio next-stop announcements, linked in with existing LED and TFT bus-stop information panels.

The advanced fleet-management system set up by GMV provides waiting passengers with bus ETAs and informs the company of any incidents that crop up on service.

The ticketing system, for its part, doubles up as vending machine and validator, printing out and reading QR-code paper tickets, recharging and validating contactless Mifare Plus X farecards and also providing message console functions for the fleet-management equipment and controlling the bus’s inside and outside information panels.

The card-recharging network is made up by ticket-printing and customizing points, recharging and customer-attention points in offices and a website for checking remaining travel credits and movements and online recharging. These online recharging requests are then passed on to the buses for automatic updating when the card is brought close to the onboard vending machine/validator. New farecard functions have also been phased into this modernization process such as credit traveling (with a debit recorded in the wallet) and an intelligent wallet (fare capping) with daily, weekly or monthly ceilings to suit the user profile. Lastly, inspectors have been issued with 15 handhelds for reading contactless farecards and giving out onboard fines for any infractions.