Shinas Ashraf quit his job in Dubai and booked his flights to Malta after being granted a visa to work as a cab driver last month, when his plans were suddenly left in tatters.

The 35-year-old Indian national is one of an estimated 3,000 people in disarray after new rules requiring cab drivers to hold an EU driver’s licence came into effect without any grace period.

“After I received the visa from the Maltese embassy, I resigned from my job and so I am jobless now,” the father-of-four said.

“I don’t know what to do, I have to take care of my children, my parents, my grandmother and a widowed aunt.”

He was told his work-permit application had been revoked after spending almost €1,400 on expenses as he prepared to move to Malta, including flights, travel insurance and visa charges. 

“At least I want my money back,” he said. 

Ashraf was granted a visa on July 14, days before the new rules came into effect and he cannot understand why he was stopped from moving at the last minute, when he had already made all the arrangements. 

Previously, cab drivers could drive Y-plated vehicles with an international licence for a year before having to get a local or EU licence.

However, this all changed when the government published legislation requiring all cab drivers to have a Maltese or EU licence in July.

The new rules were announced on July 5 and came into effect just three weeks later.

Anyone with a valid Transport Malta cab driver’s permit and a valid residence document can continue working until either expires. But prospective workers in any stage of applying to become cab drivers have had their plans shattered. 

A source estimated they amounted to about 3,000 people in all.

Many were still applying for a visa in their home countries and a significant portion would have been rejected or dropped out anyway.

But some were already in Malta with a driver’s permit in hand. They were waiting for their single work permit from Identity Malta, which allows non-EU nationals to legally work in Malta.   

Others were in Malta and in the process of acquiring their Transport Malta cab driver’s permit when the legislation took effect.

And still others, like Shinas, had a work visa in hand and were preparing to migrate to Malta. 

'Apply for credit note to use in another job application'

Identity Malta confirmed that no person without a Maltese or EU licence is being granted a residence permit if they apply to be cab drivers.  

“After the law changed, we have to make sure that any cab driver is in line with regulations before we can grant them a work permit,” Identity Malta CEO Mark Mallia said. 

He acknowledged that “a significant number of people” who began the process to work as cab drivers were affected.

Times of Malta spoke to three non-EU nationals in Malta who had a cab drivers’ permit in hand but were asked to present an EU licence before they could be allowed to work. 

“Please submit a copy of the driving license held by the third-country national applicant, including any driving licence issued by Malta or another member state of the European Union,” the three non-EU nationals were told by an Identity Malta e-mail address specifically dedicated to Y-plate drivers.

Mallia said that non-EU nationals or their prospective employers or employees caught in this situation can apply for a credit note for the fees they have spent to use in another job application.

Three-month waiting period to take the driving test

One prospective cab driver, who had already applied for a Maltese driver’s licence, hopes to pass his driving exam next week, but another non-EU national was already informed by his prospective employer they would be terminating their application with Identity Malta. 

“I can understand them. There’s a three-month waiting period to take the driving test. Who is going to wait for so long?”, he said.

He now plans to return to his old job as a cleaner.

Non-EU nationals who lose their job have 10 days to find another job or risk being deported. 

One cab fleet manager described how over two dozen workers had already arrived in Malta with a visa to work in Malta a few months ago.  

The prospective cab drivers completed a course and a Transport Malta exam for the job, had acquired a clean police conduct, and paid all the fees for a cab driver’s permit. 

But when they physically went to Transport Malta offices to collect their tag, the would-be drivers were refused as the new legislation had already come into effect. 

Transport Malta confirmed that no person without a Maltese or EU licence is being given a cab driver’s permit. 

“It is now mandatory for any applicant to have an EU or Maltese licence, as per the new regulations stated in LN 186/2023,” a TM spokesperson said when asked about non-EU nationals who were already in the process of acquiring a cab driver’s permit when the new laws came into force. 

Many cab drivers in Malta are Indian nationals. 

'Humanitarian implications'

The Malta Malayalee Association, an association that supports people in Malta from the Indian state of Kerala, said that the failure to include a grace period in the law has left many in dire straits.

“We agree with the law, but many were caught in the middle of the process because there was no period to get in line with the new regulations,” a spokesperson for the MMA said. 

“We are afraid that many are at risk of being deported because they have no job,” he said. 

Most who drive Y-plated vehicles operate on platforms such as Bolt and eCabs. 

In a statement, Bolt said it met with public authorities several times, particularly to cater for those already in the migration process and who had already made personal plans to move to Malta to work. 

They said that the new law has “humanitarian implications”.

“We mustn’t lose sight of the fact there are many genuine individuals who have had their life plans uprooted overnight due to this new law that came into force with very little transition period or advance warning,” they said.

Similarly, eCabs said the introduction of these new regulations without a grace period has resulted in significant disruption to the sector and has negatively impacted the status of several workers in the ride-hailing industry.

Still, eCabs said it is committed to being fully compliant with all rules governing the sector and is operating in line with the new regulations. 

Authorities observe parking and cruising abuses on streets

Times of Malta asked the transport ministry why it had not included a grace period. 

A spokesperson said: “Ensuring road safety remains paramount and is a top priority for us.

"Hence, driving a Y-plate registered vehicle with a licence from outside the European Union is not permissible.” 

The spokesperson also said that instances of parking and cruising “abuses” on the streets have been observed. 

A “substantial number” of drivers also failed to comply with the legal requirement of possessing a garage, she said.

“Addressing these urgent concerns promptly, we recognised the necessity for comprehensive regulations and the need to make the appropriate decisions,” the ministry spokesperson said. 

Times of Malta has previously tried to establish how many accidents involved Y-plate drivers but the police said it did not hold these statistics.

Government sources had said the new law was in part introduced to curb the number of cabs on Maltese roads.

The number of cabs shot up by almost half in a year, from 2,700 to 3,900.