Clampdown on unlicensed car park attendants

The Malta Transport Authority was yesterday ordered to proceed against unlicensed car park attendants.

A directive issued by Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Minister Austin Gatt also urged the regulator not to allow licensed attendants to operate except in the car park where they are authorised to work and to stop licensed attendants from appointing substitutes.

Dr Gatt said it is common practice that when car park attendants are not present at the car park where they are licensed to operate they ask someone else to run the car park - sometimes even persons who do not even have a licence to work as a car park attendant.

This has been happening with the knowledge of the authorities responsible for the enforcement of regulations. 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, Dr Gatt said.

It is obvious that such practice is not only illegal but can be clearly abused because the licensee effectively "sub-contracts" his licence. This should not be tolerated by the ADT, the minister insisted. Dr Gatt said the practice is also leading to the untenable situation whereby unlicensed persons or licensed attendants who are not licensed to operate in a specific car park are illegally acting as car park attendants to the detriment of the consumer and bringing forward the excuse that they are "authorised" by the legitimate attendant.

This practice must stop immediately and the ADT should prosecute, if necessary with the assistance of the police, any persons not observing the law, Dr Gatt insisted.

This is the second policy directive issued by Dr Gatt in a month from the general election. Last month, he issued a ministerial policy directive laying down that, whenever local councils or any other body undertook road works without the necessary permits, the ADT was to alert the Police Commissioner and ask him to stop the works immediately.