Ferry services in the Greater Malé area, which includes Villimalé, Hulhumalé, Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu, have been fully integrated into the Raajjé Transport Link (RTL) Travel platform, the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has announced.
Quick Response (QR) ferry tickets for routes such as Malé-Villimalé, Malé-Thilafushi, Malé-Gulhifalhu, and Malé-Hulhumalé are now available for purchase on the RTL Travel mobile application and website, MTCC said. Additionally, passengers can buy printed QR tickets at the Greater Malé ferry terminal ticket counters.
Contactless credit and debit cards issued by the Bank of Maldives (BML) and other banks can also be used to pay for ferry services by tapping the payment terminals.
The RTL Travel mobile application allows passengers to purchase up to 10 tickets simultaneously. Single-journey tickets remain valid for seven days, while multiple-journey tickets for Villimalé and Thilafushi are valid for 30 days. MTCC plans to phase out existing legacy travel cards by 30 December 2023, but passengers can top them up until 1 December 2023.
MTCC has confirmed that QR tickets bought from RTL’s platform are route-specific. However, senior citizens aged 65 and above, children under three years old, and persons with disabilities can continue to use the ferry service free of charge.
MTCC, a state-owned enterprise (SOE) incorporated on 18 December 1980, and currently led by Chief Executive Officer Adam Azim, positions itself as a provider of marine and land transport services and civil and marine construction. The government holds a majority stake of 62.20 percent in MTCC, with the general public owning 31.15 percent, and Maldives National Shipping Limited (MNSL) holding 4.65 percent.
The RTL Ferry Service was announced in 2021 as part of the Maldives’ Integrated National Public Ferry Network (INPFN) project to connect the islands, atolls, and people of the Maldives. On 1 July 2021, the government assigned the RTL bus service to MTCC. MTCC now provides bus services to Greater Malé, Addu City, Fuvahmulah City, L. Isdhoo/Kalaidhoo, and L. Gan/Fonadhoo. The agreement also transferred resources previously used by Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) for the Greater Malé bus service to MTCC.