Updated 10.51am with new video, cab companies' reactions.  

Cab drivers held a slow carcade from Ta' Qali to Marsa on Wednesday morning to protest over "predatory pricing" models by platforms.

The self-employed 'Y' plate drivers say low prices on cab platforms have undermined their livelihoods.

Aron Gatt president of a lobby representing drivers, said trips were sometimes charged less than €5 and between 55 and 65 per cent of any trip was lost to costs.

Platforms take around 20 per cent commission, insurance premiums are in the thousands of euro per year and when considering maintenance costs and VAT only 35 per cent was left to the driver, he said.

"What you are left with is peanuts," he said.

A break-down of the costs

Speaking to Times of Malta before the protest cab driver Challie Mizzi broke down the costs. 

He said cab drivers need to spend at least €25,000 to €30,000 as an initial investment to buy a car. As it stands drivers are unable to afford a new car when they need to replace their old one.

Mizzi, who has been driving a cab since 2019 said insurance was "incredibly expensive and some people pay €3,000 per year". 

Other costs such as garage rent, car service and fuel continue to add up costs, the self-employed driver said.

"When I started in 2019 the trip prices were higher, the minimum trip was €4 and between €1 and €1.10 for every kilometre. But since Covid the prices kept getting lower and almost never increasing". 

Despite an increase in cab drivers, Mizzi said he has not seen a decrease in the amount of trips he has because the lower prices mean more people are using cabs. 

"A trip can be as low as €3.80," he said.

The protest carcade meandered through  Attard, Mosta, Naxxar, San Ġwann, Swieqi, Sliema, and Msida before ending at a parking area near the Transport Malta offices in Marsa.

Some of those present held placards reading:  "business as usual Mafia" and "the bread of workers is threatened." One placard called for an inquiry into the sector.

Aron Gatt addressed hundreds of cab drivers at the Marsa car park. 

“They (platforms) said we will be a few drivers, but I think their definition of few is different to mine,” he said remarking at the size of the crowd.

He said platforms refused proposals put forward by the LPOA and even refused to continue discussing them.  

“This was our last resort.... to protest,” he said.  

“They told us if you don’t like the job find another,” Gatt told the crowd, “But how can we do that when we invested our life savings to buy a car.”  

So many self-employed operators have gone bankrupt. “The sector, especially for small operators is on the verge of collapse,” he said. 

Switching to English to address the non-Maltese at the protest Gatt said stakeholders needed to listen to and help small operators.  

“Right now we are being treated as slaves, that’s basically it”.  

“If you invest €30,000 or €40,000 in a car you expect to earn more than minimum wage,” he said.  

The Light Passenger Operators Association (LPOA) represents drivers licensed to drive light passenger transport vehicles, commonly referred to as Y-plate vehicles, which are booked over the phone and through ride-hailing apps. 

Wednesday’s action follows increased discontent within the industry, with last year seeing cab drivers go public about a range of issues.  

In August, the LPOA unsuccessfully lobbied Malta's big three ride-hailing platforms for better pay, which faltered when Uber and Bolt said they were unwilling to consider paying drivers more.

At the time, cab drivers told Times of Malta that while passengers pay around €1.10 per kilometre, self-employed drivers only keep about 70 cents of that.

And in October, Y-plate drivers met publicly to air their grievances after Transport Malta changed its rules, requiring them to park their vehicles in commercial garages.

Cab drivers have also complained of being robbed regularly while going about their work, with one driver last year losing a backpack containing €400 and debit cards to three thieves who tried to steal his phone at the end of their trip.

Cab companies' reaction

Malta's three cab platforms Bolt, Uber and e-Cabs were all contacted for their reaction to the protest. 

An eCabs spokesperson said the company has been "actively engaged with LPOA, drivers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to ensure the overall sustainability of the ride-hailing industry". 

"eCabs has consistently supported drivers' call for a more sustainable industry," the spokesperson said pointing to their comments made last August. 

Back then eCabs said that a minimum-price policy can only be introduced by policymakers “who have a duty to ensure the overall safety and sustainability of the ride-hailing industry”. 

While sympathetic to the realities of drivers the company cannot influence the prices charged by other platforms, eCabs said in August. 

They repeated that sentiment on Wednesday.

"While eCabs was, and remains, sympathetic to drivers, the platform is just one of three major ride-hailing operators in Malta, and as such, is not in a position to change prices charged by other operators in the market."

An Uber spokesperson said: "We want to provide safe, rewarding and flexible earning opportunities to all drivers working with the Uber app and we want to raise their standard of work".

Asked for comment Bolt said they are aware of the drivers’ strike and respected their right to peaceful demonstrations. 

“While Bolt actively invests in campaigns to align pricing expectations between riders and drivers, we also recognize the challenges stemming from escalating operational costs faced by drivers and fleets. These challenges extend beyond the realm of an intermediary booking platform. Shifting the burden of operators’ increasing costs onto ride prices would not be a sustainable solution for the marketplace,” a spokesperson for the platform said. 

“We have continuously worked in partnership with local authorities and other key stakeholders to ensure that the industry grows to its full potential, sustainably.” 

The Bolt spokesperson added that the company is “constantly working on the holistic driver experience” and is providing support for operators to be successful in their business.  

“We will continue to listen, analyse and innovate our services to the benefit of our drivers and passengers,” she said.