Minibus services commence in Male’ City

 Raajje Transport Link (RTL) on Monday officially commenced minibus services in Male’ City.

As per Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) operated RTL, minibuses will be operating daily from 05:45 to 0:15.

To mark the commemoration of the buses, MTCC revealed that for the first two weeks, commuting will be free of charge. After this period, MVR 7 will be charged per ride.

QR tickets are available on the RTL website as well as their mobile application that can be downloaded from both Google Play Store and App Store.

Additionally, MTCC stated that upon presenting their National ID card, those over 65 years old, children under three years, and the card given by National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) for people with special needs, will be able to travel for free.

Moreover, children in school uniforms will not be charged for minibus as well.

Minibus services will be given as per three routes, namely Ameenee route, Soasan route, and Orchid route. All in all, there are 40 bus stops. Busses will be stopped at each stop once every 10 to 15 minutes.

Minibuses can accommodate 20-22 passengers seated and another 10 standing. A total of 18 buses will be operating in Male’, out of which eight have ramps and wheelchair access.

Though minibus services have officially commenced, several projects connected to this are still ongoing.

The government stated that this service will bring an end to the transportation difficulties faced by the people.

Lack of a properly public transport mechanism in the capital city is a long-time standing issue, that has led to increased public vehicles that crowd the road.  

Without such a mechanism members of the public without personal vehicles are left to rely on taxis for transportation needs. However, many often raise concerns about the pricy taxi fares.

Prior to this, during former President Mohamed Nasheed’s presidency, bus services were started, which gained a lot of support from the public as well. However, shortly afterwards, it was stopped and has not been resumed since.