Bonett takes exception to being asked about €25,000 offer uptake

The number of people who have applied to give up their driving licence in exchange for €25,000 remains unknown, as Transport Minister Chris Bonett insists the figures will be revealed "when the time is right". 

“There is interest. A number of applications are currently being vetted and, when we know the results, we will announce everything,” he told journalists on Wednesday.

Times of Malta has been requesting the figures from Transport Malta since the scheme was launched at the beginning of the year. 

The scheme allows drivers aged up to 30 to surrender their licence for five years in exchange for a €5,000 annual grant over that period, for a total of €25,000. Funding is available for up to 1,000 applicants, who may apply until June 30.

'You're asking for other reasons'

In an exchange with journalists, the minister said the media seemed to be solely focused on the €25,000 offer and ignored all other transport-related initiatives being unveiled. 

"If we're just going to look for ways of knocking this idea or that, we'll never make progress. We launched the scheme a month ago and urged the media not to start asking for figures immediately. Now you're doing that, for other reasons," he said, without elaborating.   

Pressed on whether dozens or hundreds of people had applied so far, Bonett declined to provide further details. 

Sliema-Buġibba-Gozo ferry tender progressing

Speaking to journalists, he reiterated that addressing Malta’s traffic problem requires short, medium and long-term measures. The cash-for-licence scheme forms part of a package of short-term measures announced last year, which he said are progressing well. 

Bonett added that the medium-term plan is also advancing, noting that a planned fast ferry service linking Sliema to Gozo, with a stop in Buġibba, is expected to begin operating in the coming months. 

A tender for the service faced objections by a rival operator, but those objections have now been dropped.

Bonett also said that the government would be announcing its integrated mass transport plan "in the coming weeks", having made a similar pledge in mid-December. 

"I hope the plan is approached constructively, not destructively," he said. "I see many attempts to be destructive when it comes to the transport [sector].

Bonett ruled out any move to tax or disincentivise car use, saying "the government will not tax people". 

"The media called for a holistic [transportation] plan. It's coming. Now you can either choose to help, or make the mistake of destroying it.... let's work together instead of trying to trip each other up," the minister said. 

An 18-month traffic plan

The €25,000 offer to young drivers forms part of an 18-month plan to reduce traffic congestion on Maltese roads. 

Originally planned as an offer for all drivers, it was initially delayed and then unveiled as one targeting drivers aged up to 30. The plan drew a largely sceptical reaction from transport experts and the public, who questioned whether it would take many cars off the road. 

Once the scheme was launched, several university students who spoke to Times of Malta during a vox pop said the grant is not enough to persuade them to give up their driving licenses, unless public transport improves. 

Several student unions and councils had also expressed their “disappointment” at the scheme, arguing that a financial incentive without a trustworthy public transport system was not enough. 

Apart from this scheme, the government also announced a plan to offer 17-year-olds a cash grant of €6,000 to teens who defer getting their driving license until they are 21 and opt to ride a scooter instead. This also received a sceptical response from teens.

The transport ministry has also opened new park-and-ride facilities in Paola and Ta' Qali, ramped up grants for e-bikes and scooters and announced some new bus routes with an eye to revising the bus network in the coming years.  

Other proposals, such as shifting waste collection and deliveries to off-peak hours and introducing a cargo ferry service at the Freeport, have yet to be announced.

Last week, an international study of traffic congestion reported that Malta is Europe's most gridlocked country and ranks second worldwide.