Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) is scheduled to begin the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) minibus service in Male’ City on September 5.
MTCC has cleared the streets and established bus stops in Male’ to commence the minibus service. The state-owned company stated that the service will be free of charge during the first two weeks. In addition, school students, disabled persons, senior citizens, and children under three years of age will be able to travel on the minibusses free of charge throughout the duration of the service. The government set the bus fare at USD0.46 to make it affordable to the public. The taxi fare in Male’ is USD1.95.
MTCC plans to use 18 buses for service in Male’ and eight of the buses will be easily accessible to people in wheelchairs. The minibusses have a capacity of 20-25 passengers and are designed for easy access and travel for people with disabilities.
The bus routes have been established to make it easy for school students, office workers, and individuals travelling to hospitals to reach their destination within 10 minutes from the farthest bus stops. The bus routes are interconnected to areas in Henveiru and Maafannu and each bus stop is a five-minute walk away from the other.
The bus service will be available from 0545hrs to 0015hrs every day and buses will make their stops every 10 minutes. MTCC has introduced a QR ticketing service to allow passengers to purchase online tickets, which will expire after seven days.