Matthew Xuereb
VRT stations want to charge more
VRT operators complain over lack of inspectors
VRT station owners want to raise the price of the vehicle road-worthiness test to €35 from the current €20.27, to make up for higher costs such as wages and electricity.
The price was established by the government 11 years ago when the test was first introduced and has remained the same since, although €1.40 in administration charges paid by the station owners was waived a couple of years ago.
The VRT section within the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU is now lobbying for a rise in the VRT price, citing the higher costs of labour and electricity as well as the hefty expense of maintaining their equipment. The current test fee, the section holds, does not even cover costs.
Sources said the section is in the process of commissioning an audit company to verify the running costs incurred by VRT stations to provide the service.
A number of VRT station owners told The Times they have operated at a loss ever since the test was introduced because the fee did not take all the variables into consideration.
“We have always operated at a loss – €20.27 does not justify the time it takes to carry out one test and the investment we made in the first place. We cannot continue to operate at a loss year in, year out,” one VRT operator said.
Apart from having to make up for the initial investment in the machinery and wages for staff who carry out the tests, the stations’ electricity bills have shot up by 30 per cent.
Moreover, they said, their costs to maintain the VRT equipment working at optimum levels were on the rise, not only when it came to replacement parts but also to pay for the services of technicians and engineers.
A couple of years ago, when the operators had lobbied to increase the fee, the ADT (now Transport Malta) had agreed to waive most of the administration charges, giving them a €1.40 reduction.
The VRT was introduced in 1999 with the aim of getting rundown and unsafe cars removed from the roads. Over the years it has grown more stringent, with aspects like suspension systems and emissions now also being tested.
Some VRT operators have on a number of occasions expressed their disappointment at the lack of enforcement in the light of abuses committed by others, saying there were not enough inspectors to go round.
Just last month, 60-year-old Carmel Chircop from Msida was conditionally discharged for two years after he pleaded guilty to ordering people to issue false VRT certificates for cars that had not even been tested.
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22 Comments
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R.Cassar
Oct 13th 2010, 09:46
As far as i know the problem lies in the number of VRT stations and was flagged since inception.
eg Republic of Ireland - 45 stations.
http://www.ncts.ie/locations.html
Malta & Gozo - 37 stations
http://www.dca.gov.mt/Page.aspx?pageid=584&lid=1
ie the problem lies with the economies of scales.
Raymond Cutajar
Oct 12th 2010, 22:39
I have a VRT station and invite any body including non political news room journalists , and TV stations to come over and see for themselves the huge losses incurred over the last 11 years mainly because
a) I tend to do a good VRT thus failing a high prcentage of cars when compared to other vrt stations
b)The authorities are only concerned in not loosing Votes
c)ADT / TM
Albert Muscat
Oct 12th 2010, 19:56
€35 for a 10 minute job!!! Isthu jekk tafu kif! As to their claim that they invested heavily to qualify as testers - it's their problem!!! If this is true, (which is very doubtful!), than they should have carried out a feasibility study BEFORE going for it!
Adrian Cassar
Dec 6th 2010, 11:40
sorry ta imma jekk fejn mort int ghamillek it test ft10 mins paxxejtu. bir rispett kollu imma tiggeneraw bla ma tahsbu. lawtorijitajiet qedin jghafgu u certu stations edin jghamlu li jridu. ara xinu jigir qabel ma tparla
joe falzon
Oct 12th 2010, 19:35
one more thing, does anyone know of a mechanic doing VRT closing shop because he was working at a loss. 10 minutes and the test is done. can anyone give details on how they incur losses? do you have the option to stop doing VRT if it is not profitable?.....curious to know
joe falzon
Oct 12th 2010, 19:31
govt., church, mechanics, restaurants ---EVERYBODY wants to raise taxes and prices because of higher costs......The ONLY thing that they talk of lowering is wages......
CT BUSUTTIL
Oct 12th 2010, 17:55
Why don't we introduce a road worthiness test, as in, TEST the ROADS?
Anthony Ellul
Oct 12th 2010, 17:28
VRT stations want to charge more? Of couse, easy money.
c. camilleri
Oct 12th 2010, 16:45
Before claiming for more money the VRT stations should be inspected more often as i wonder how certain cars are on our roads.. Public's perspective of these stations is very low and it is public knowledge that tests are not done properly if done at all. So Govt should not give easily without applying new conditions and more hard punishments for abuses.
Michael Neville Cassar
Oct 12th 2010, 15:52
Encounters with two VRT Stations, a few months ago my son bought a second hand car from a dealer and we came to an agreed price , at this stage the car needed the VRT and the dealer went with my son for the VRT test, this station passed her test and he was paid the price which was agreed. We then took this car for under body seal and also service at the mechanic, next we took her for wheel steering alignment then to a panel beater back to the steering alignment, and back to the mechanic. Through this process my son forked out an extra
Euro 1630 because the VRT station passed a car which needed a new sub-frame ,a rake and steering, two front shock-up sobers, two rear wheel shock-up sobers, two wishbones .
Also 2 years have passed since I took my very good condition car for the VRT this station vibrated so hard the front shock-up sobers that I had to renew the shock-up sobers.Never again will he see my cash.
adrian agius
Oct 12th 2010, 14:57
speaking about VRT, can somebody please explain to me how cars with huge noisey cylencers pass vrt tests when cylencers are supposed to reduce noise in the first place !!!!!
Today i saw a 30 year old Renault 5 with a huge cylencer with an engine noise that resembled a corvette :-)
l fenech
Oct 12th 2010, 13:40
U jirnexxilhom, dejjem orhos mid-dawl, l-ilma u gas.
Joe Borg
Oct 12th 2010, 13:23
VRT STations want to charge more while the Government in its pre-budget wants to REDUCE WAGES. Yes, you are reading right. REDUCE WAGES. This came out during yesterday's interview of Dr Joseph Muscat on Bondi+
Download the Pre-Budget Document from http://finance.gov.mt/image.aspx?site=MFIN&ref=2011_Pre%20Budget%20Doc%202010 and go to page 64.
"Overall, the persistency in Malta’s current account deficit and loss in export market shares points to the need of addressing the structural challenges underlying the country’s export market performance, with the ultimate aim of enhancing productivity and the standard of living of living of Maltese citizens. According to the analysis in this Chapter, the Maltese economy can either adjust to the current situation by reducing consumption and possibly wages and prices, or by enhancing the industry’s productive ability. The above policy recommendations point to both......"
This is what Gonzipn wants to do REDUCE WAGES.
patrick zammit
Oct 12th 2010, 11:44
A car licence is granted if the suspension of the vehicle is certified to be ok through a vrt test.
However, the Govt leaves a substantial amount of roads in a horrendous state resulting in damage to the suspension system.
This ammounts to adding insult to injury!
PM Camilleri
Oct 12th 2010, 11:29
What a farce! And will such an increase result in proper and true VRT? 11 years later we are still seeing vehicles which are not fit to be on the roads. More stringent? Don't make me laugh. What about the hundreds of cars which have had their silencers changed in order to be a nuisance to the public. Why are they allowed by TM? Shame on you.
Raymond Camilleri
Oct 12th 2010, 18:25
Skuzawni imma min qalilkom li l VRT stations qeghdin hemm biex jittestjaw il karozzi. Jien kont nahseb li huma extension tad- dipartiment tat-taxxi.
Etienne Mallia
Oct 12th 2010, 11:00
Not to generalise, but most garages are simply passing the test to hundreds of vehicles that are only fit for the scrap yard. I challenge anybody to pick up a random passed car before 1995 and test it and see if it passes. How is it possible that the garages are passing thousands of vehicles per year when if they operated with 8 full timers for 12 hours a day for 365 days a year they wouldn't even manage half?
The system is screwed up and corrupt. I think TM should rethink the whole system. its not fair to pick on one or two a year to keep our mouths shut. the majority is breaching...poor honest VRT testers who are as usual at a disadvantage...then maybe we can talk prices.
jeffrey fenech
Oct 12th 2010, 10:58
I do not know why GRTU are backing them up with there calculation if 15 cars every day are tested which is the min in a days work profit of 300 euros every day ,in a week 1800 euros lets cut there costing at half maximum that leaves them with 900EURS earnings in a week .I DONT EARN THAT AMOUNT IN A MONTH WORKING WITH THE GOVERMENT
John Pace
Oct 12th 2010, 10:22
Why should we pay because there are too many of them and they think that there are not enough customers? If they are not making enough profit they have to change their business and not ask us to pay more.
T Camilleri
Oct 12th 2010, 10:21
Pay more? The VRT should and must be scrapped until our roads are decent and not as long as they are in their present state. African dirt tracks are better than some of them.
Pierre Sacco
Oct 12th 2010, 21:02
I fully agree with you and Shaun Camilleri! Did the sorry state of many of our roads feature in the Malta fair or whatever it was, recently done in Brussels? I suppose this is a stupid question!
Shaun Camilleri
Oct 12th 2010, 09:35
How about TM / ADT / I prefer calling them the money sucking entity start giving something in return for the new SKY HIGH circulation fees (read road tax) and the viscious registration taxes charged on cars.
HOW ABOUT DECENT ROADS?????
It seems a s if the POPE and the Queen must come more often to get something done.
Sod the tax payer, all he can do is pay the taxes!!