ADT ordered to stop unlicensed car park attendants

Austin Gatt, the minister responsible for transport, has directed the Malta Transport Authority not to allow the informal system where licensed car park attendants authorise other people to stand in for them, saying this amounted to a sort of illegal 'substitution licence'.

He also directed the authority not to allow anyone to act as a car park attendant without a licence and to ensure that licensed attendants only operate in the car parks assigned to them.

In a letter to the ADT the minister wrote:

"It has come to my attention that when car park attendants do not attend the car park they are licensed to operate, it is the 'practice' to leave someone else nominated by them to run the car park, sometimes even persons who do not even have a licence to work as a car park attendant.

"I understand that this 'practice' has happened with the knowledge of the authorities responsible for the enforcement of the regulations, that forbid it, even though a car park attendant licence is personally issued to its holder and licensed holders can only operate in the car park assigned to them while non-licensees cannot operate anywhere. A sort of illegal substitution licence has been created, even though for most, car parks, if not all, there are at least two licensed attendants

"It is obvious that this 'practice' is not only illegal but can be clearly abused since the licensee effectively 'sub contracts' his or her licence, an act that should not be tolerated by the authority. This is also leading to the untenable situation where un-licensed persons or licensed attendants not licensed to operate at specific car parks are illegally acting as car park attendants to the detriment of the consumer and bringing forward the excuse that they are 'authorized' by the legitimate attendant.

"You are consequently being directed to ensure that this practice stops immediately and to prosecute, if necessary with the assistance of the police, any persons not observing the law."