We asked young people if they'd give up driving for €25k

A €25,000 grant may not be enough to persuade most university students to give up their driving licence, unless public transport improves.

Times of Malta spoke to university students the day after applications opened for the government scheme, which offers up to 1,000 grants on a first-come, first-served basis to 18-30-year-olds who agree not to drive for five years.

Despite the size of the incentive, none of those interviewed had yet applied. While two said they were considering it, most were sceptical, citing the country’s free but unreliable bus service as the main obstacle.

‘It’s quite useless to have a licence’

Nick Galea said he had not considered applying until he realised the €25,000 was a grant, not a tax credit, as he had previously thought.

“If I can get €25,000, I’d be willing to give it up in the short term and then get it back eventually. With the traffic in Malta, it’s quite useless to have a licence to a degree,” Galea said.

Julia Borg was also open to the idea, saying it could make sense given her future plans.

“I would be willing to read more into it, especially because I have plans to move abroad, I won’t really need a licence here, so maybe it could be useful,” she said.

While the application form makes clear that recipients would be banned from driving in Malta and abroad for the full five-year period, Borg said this would not be an issue for her, as she plans to move to a country with a more efficient public transport system.

‘Infrastructure makes me rely on my car’

Others were far more critical.

Jake Midolo said the concept could work in places like London but not in Malta.

“Personally, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t think [€25,000] is enough of an incentive in this country,” Midolo said.

Timmy Desira was blunter.

“I would rather have my own car and avoid the buses,” he said. “It was horrible. I’ve been catching buses since I was 13 and every time it was a hassle. No amount of money will incentivise me to give up my licence.”

Josef Elnadar also raised practical concerns, saying he could not always rely on buses or lifts from others due to his work and other commitments.

Victoria Marie Sacco echoed the same concern, saying the current “infrastructure makes me rely more on my car than public transport”.

The scheme was first announced by Transport Minister Chris Bonett back in March 2025 as one of a series of measures aimed at reducing the number of cars on Malta’s roads.

Initially, the scheme was intended to be open to all drivers but was later narrowed to younger applicants after public consultation.

During an interview with Times of Malta, last month, Bonett said that no single measure will solve the traffic problem but each one will build on the other.