Offer of €25,000 to quit driving is behind schedule, minister admits
Chris Bonett says idea will be launched as a pilot project, but can't say who is target
The government’s plan to pay drivers €25,000 if they give up their driving licence for five years has yet to be finalised, according to Transport Minister Chris Bonett.
The incentive, one of 45 measures aimed at reducing Malta’s car dependency that were unveiled in March, was meant to be introduced by June.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday morning to provide an update on which measures had been implemented in the second quarter of the year, Bonett said the cash offer - a €25,000 grant split into five yearly payments - would start as a pilot project rather than being open to everyone straight away.
However, the government has yet to finalise which demographic it will be targeting first.
“It’s not a budget issue. We don’t want it to simply be an exercise in handing out money. We want to target people who will contribute to reducing traffic,” the minister said.
Bonett suggested that young people could be the first to be eligible for the offer.
“The number of young people who want to get their driving licence as soon as they turn 18 is still alarmingly high," he said.
The minister said that several objectives had been completed, including shifting services such as road cleansing and landscaping away from peak hours, and an increase in public transport routes.
Training has also started on TM Roads, the government’s new online platform that will be used to improve efficiency, collaboration and transparency on road works.
Bonett said some other plans were running slightly behind schedule, but would be completed in the next week or two. He cited a park-and-ride facility for Paola and new circular bus routes in Paola and Siġġiewi, and the launch of a national cycling strategy as examples.
Bonett said that by September, customer-facing government departments would start offering services after 9am. The shift to a later starting time is intended to reduce rush hour traffic on local roads.
A study on the feasibility of a cargo ferry between the Freeport and Gozo will be completed by September, as will a green travel policy that will encourage government workers to commute to work without using their cars.
Asked for a timeline on the start of a ferry service connecting Sliema, Buġibba and Gozo, Bonett said more details would be provided at the launch of the ferry terminal in Buġibba on Wednesday.
Bonett stressed that the measures were not meant to achieve “sensationalist” goals such as a huge reduction in traffic overnight, but to change the public’s attitude towards cars.
“A culture change is not something that happens overnight – it takes time. I want the next generation to be less car-dependent,” he said.