The Transport Ministry have advised that new rules have been approved and will come into effect for those who want to qualify for what is known as Y-Plate and Y-Tag.
These rules join others that were already announced a few weeks ago and are intended to better regulate this sector with the aim of the service offered being of a level higher and safer, the Ministry said.
Among the changes that will be there with legal notices that will be published in the coming days are:
Drivers coming from countries outside the European Union: Any person who applies to obtain or to renew a driver’s permit and the tag to drive a cab with a Y Plate, must have a driving license issued by Malta or another country another of the European Union.
Persons of foreign nationality coming from outside the European Union will no longer qualify for the tag to drive small Y-Plate cars with the license of their country.
Previously it was allowed for a period of one year until a license of Malta or a European Union country is obtained. The tag will now qualify anyone who has a license from Malta or a European Union country.
The course will be changed and the testing will be done with a new curriculum: With effect from July 17th the curriculum, course and testing will be updated as part of the process for a driver to obtain the permission and the tag to work. This will be done to raise the level of drivers working in this field. There will be no new tests or applications before July 17th. The tests will start taking place in Transport Malta’s own buildings.
Vehicle maintenance: Inspections by enforcement officers will be stepped up to ensure that Y-plate cars are kept in good and decent maintenance. This will be done in addition to what is already done in the existing Vehicle Roadworthiness Test.
These measures join measures that were already announced in Transport Malta’s statement of 23 May 2023:
Garage declaration: From July 23, operators must, every year upon renewal of their operator’s license, provide a report issued by an architect with the site plan of the garage in which they want to park their vehicles when not in use. This site plan must clearly show the number of car spaces that are for the exclusive use of the operator, and the architect must confirm that these spaces are sufficient to park all the vehicles that are registered under the operator’s license.
Parking of vehicles while they are not in use: Although when they are not being operated, Y-plates are supposed to be in the garage, from July 23, drivers will have the chance to park in white boxes only for a maximum of one hour without being with the vehicle.
However, Y-plate drivers cannot park their vehicles to wait for the next booking at distances that are up to 100 meters away from the white taxi booth. In certain particular cases, such as the Malta International Airport area, the Valletta Cruise Port and Ferry Landings, this distance rises to 250 metres. This will be done with geofencing technology and will ensure that there is no over-flying of Y-plate vehicles in these areas.
The Ministry said that “authorities are not only introducing these rules, but are also increasing their efforts when it comes to enforcement. The necessary changes will be made in the law so that LESA officers and the police force are also authorised to issue the necessary contraventions in case of abuse of the parking regulations.”
“There will also be the engagement of forensic experts from Transport Malta to be in a better position to identify potential abuse with false tags and thus ensure the integrity of the license issuance in our country,” the Ministry said.
“Finally, discussions and consultations with all the parties concerned will begin immediately so that with effect from 2025, every new car registered as a Y-Plate will be electric. Thus the future fleet of this industry will be among the first to be electrified.”