Major Y-plate overhaul expected in coming days

The government is planning a major overhaul of the Y-plate sector through a new law that will be introduced in the coming days.

Among the changes are new powers for Transport Malta to enforce the 12-hour daily driving limit for cab drivers.

Under the new law, set to be introduced via legal notice, Transport Malta will have access to real-time data provided by Malta’s ride-hailing apps, showing how long a driver has been behind the wheel.

Drivers who exceed the stipulated maximum time will face escalating penalties, ranging from a warning to a €500 fine and eventually the suspension of their driver’s tag.

The changes come after an unlicensed, drunk Y-plate driver was allegedly involved in a crash that left a man with life-changing injuries last Wednesday.

Times of Malta has reported that some drivers were working shifts of up to 16 hours a day, transporting passengers across Malta and raising concerns over road safety.

Drivers will also have to log in using facial recognition software every three hours to confirm that they are the ones driving.

The new rules also state that applicants must have at least two years of driving experience before they can become cab drivers.

Tiered fee structure for illegal on-street parking

The government will introduce the new legislation after the cabinet approved the changes at the beginning of the week. Transport Malta will also implement a tiered fee structure for illegal on-street Y-plate parking, starting at €100 and rising to €500.

Under the new rules, Y-plates may park on the street for up to two hours during the day and one hour at night.

A Transport Malta clock must be displayed when cabs are parked.

The changes come as Malta now has close to 5,000 Y-plate vehicles carrying out around 55,000 trips daily. In total, Y-plate cabs make some 20 million trips a year.

The government believes that booking platforms are under-regulated and that workers’ rights and safety need strengthening.

On Friday afternoon, Transport Malta held a meeting with Malta’s three ride-hailing apps – Bolt, Uber and eCabs – as well as fleet operators.

Fleets – the companies that own vehicles and employ most of the industry’s cab drivers – will also face new rules.

Operators who have, say, 10 vehicles may engage multiple drivers, but they cannot have, say 15 vehicles for 10 drivers.

Fleets that work on shift are not affected at all.

Larger fleets must also have one wheelchair-accessible vehicle for every 50 registered vehicles. Those fleets can tap into a €10,000 grant to purchase those cars.

The fee structure for the ride-hailing apps is also set to increase significantly under a tiered system. Currently, Bolt, Uber  and eCabs pay Transport Malta a few hundred euros annually as a registration fee.

Under the new regime, the apps will have to pay according to how many rides are booked through their platforms.

At a minimum, a platform that books up to 50,000 rides a year will pay a €5,000 fee. Apps that book more than 15 million rides annually will have to pay a fee of €320,000.

Note: An earlier version wrongly stated that the new rules would impose the need to have one car for every driver. The error is regretted.