VRT station's licence withdrawn over abuse

The Malta Transport Authority has withdrawn the vehicle roadworthiness testing licence of Metallica Services Ltd, a station in Luqa, due to irregularities in the issuing of VRT certificates.

The operator has also lost the Lm10,000 deposit required by law to be able to operate the station.

The authority said it was the first time that a VRT station had had its licence withdrawn.

In September, the station was fined Lm5,000 by the MTA after spot checks by its inspectors revealed that after a vehicle was tested by the station, the roadworthiness certificate showed contradictory test results. Tests then revealed that the testing equipment had been tampered with.

The operator was warned about the consequences of repeated default and had to top up the deposit to Lm10,000.

Daniela Borg Mizzi, marketing and public relations official for the authority, said the MTA was clamping down on abuse in the issuing of VRT certificates, and the MTA's technical inspectors were carrying out random spot checks.

There are about 40 VRT operators on the island.