Taxis to be closely monitored

Taxi drivers and their passengers will come under the watchful eye of Big Brother as a remote tracking system and surveillance cameras will be installed in the vehicles as part of the reform of the sector.

The taxis will be equipped with closed-circuit TV cameras that would transmit footage to Transport Malta. The footage would only be accessible to the police in the event of a crime, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said.

The introduction of surveillance cameras was a sore point with taxi drivers who, when the draft reform was published for consultation, had pointed out it might be an invasion of their clients' privacy.

But Dr Gatt, who launched the taxi reform yesterday, said this and other measures had been accepted by the associations representing the taxi drivers following a consultation process.

"We have reached an agreement with the taxi drivers' associations and the reform will drastically change the way the sector operates," he said.

As another safety measure, drivers and passengers will both have an emergency button which, if used, would alert Transport Malta and the police.

A satellite tracking system will allow Transport Malta to monitor the vehicles' movements.

Using taxi meters will become compulsory and this will also be monitored remotely by Transport Malta. If drivers are caught not using it, the taxi will be immediately confiscated.

By 2012, the number of licences for white taxis will have increased by 25 per cent to 250. The licences will be introduced gradually: 20 will be issued in September, another 20 in January 2011 and 10 in January 2012.

The government will issue a call for tenders for the new licences requesting a minimum bid of €20,000 for each taxi. The licence will be non-transferable for five years.

No new licences would be issued for Gozo taxis because these were sufficient for the country's needs, Dr Gatt said. There are 50 licensed taxis in Gozo.

The reform would start being introduced gradually in three months and fully implemented within a year, he said.

Taxi drivers and operators with a record of serious crime, such as, say, rape or murder, for example, will not be granted a licence.

New taxi drivers will be tested on their knowledge of routes and streets and mentored by an experienced driver for a few months while remaining under probation for five years.

A points system will be introduced whereby drivers will have their licence suspended for two years if 200 points are deducted for contraventions.

Drivers will have the right to emblazon their car with paid adverts.

Fares will be capped at today's rates: an initial fare of €3.50 with €1.40 per kilometre being charged for the first eight kilometres and €1 per kilometre for the rest of the way. But drivers would be able to reduce these fares if they wanted to.

"This will create a competitive playing field between the needs of the operator and the consumer," Dr Gatt said.

The reform includes the liberalisation of the electric cabs service that has so far been operated exclusively by one firm in Valletta. The government would now accept applications from anyone interested in running a service anywhere in Malta.