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It Is No Longer Free To Travel Down The Upper Barrakka Gardens Lift

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After years of being free, the lift down from Upper Barrakka Gardens to Lascaris Wharf will now cost you €1 as of yesterday.

Whereas you only had to pay when heading upwards – paying at the bottom before you enter the modern and eye-catching elevator – anyone looking for a quick and easy trip up and down Valletta will now need to pay for the honour.

The price hike comes after the company that runs the lift, Barakka Company Ltd, announced it was going to begin charging both ways.

When the company had gotten the 10-year contract to run the important method of transportation in 2016, it had pledged not to change the prices. However, the company has gone back on its word, saying “we feel it is time to charge to use the lift in both directions to cover our expenses”.

“It costs us the same amount of money to run the elevator going up as it does when it comes down. We are simply following the terms of the contract which were agreed with Transport Malta four years ago, which included a price change as an option,” a company spokesperson told Times of Malta.

The lift

The lift

The move, which is being supported by Transport Malta, will affect the hundreds of thousands of people who use the lift annually.

“The minor change will come into effect so as to not discriminate between those who used the lift to go down and those who use it to go up,” said a company spokesperson. “Before, those who used it to go down did not pay but still contributed to the wear and tear of the equipment, without ever contributing to its maintenance.”

According to the latest Transport Malta estimates, over 345,000 people paid to use the lift in 2019. 160,000 people used the lift without a charge, with the lift being included in their ferry ticket.

The lift, which cost €2 million to build and was finished in 2012, is an essential link for tourists disembarking at the Valletta Waterfront who want to access Valletta, as well as for people visiting the city for a day to easily access the Waterfront.

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Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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