Nearly half of white taxis have still not been fitted with the new meters, tracking devices and CCTV equipment promised in a long-awaited reform.

We are sure Transport Malta will continue to monitor this sector

As of last month, 161 white taxis out of a fleet of 300 in Malta and Gozo carried the new equipment, Transport Malta confirmed.

All 300 taxis are expected to have the new devices by the end of January, a spokesman said.

Transport Minister Austin Gatt had published a taxi reform document in October 2008, aimed to stamp out abuse in the industry.

‘Regular checks held’

After consultation with the association representing white taxis, regulations came into force on November 1, 2010 and were expected to be implemented within a year.

The regulations included the installation of tracking devices, CCTV cameras and meters that issued receipts in all white taxis, among other things.

But The Times recently reported some drivers of white taxis in Valletta were still insisting on excessive upfront fares rather than using their meters, as stipulated by law.

Several drivers were recorded insisting on an upfront fare of €20 from Valletta to Sliema, a distance of about seven kilometres by road.

The meter calculates fares at €1.40 per kilometre for the first eight kilometres and €1 for every kilometre afterwards, plus a starting fee of €3.50.

Upfront fixed fares for white taxis are only charged from taxi booths, which, so far, exist at the airport and Valletta seaport.

Private hire cabs can offer different rates to white taxis as their fares are not regulated by Transport Malta but they only operate on a pre-booked basis.

When asked whether it was monitoring the location, speed and taxi meter status of white taxis using the new tracking devices, a Transport Malta spokesman said it would be able to do so from its remote monitoring facility by the end of January, when all taxis were fitted with the devices.

Transport Malta is fully financing the installation of the new equipment through a grant of €3,316 (VAT included) to the owners of the taxis that existed before November 1, 2010.

The grant also covers the rent of a replacement taxi while the equipment is being installed.

In the case of the 50 new licences granted as part of the reform, taxi owners were required to pay for the new equipment themselves.

A total of 113 of taxis from the pre-reform fleet and 48 taxis licensed since 2010 are operating with the new equipment.

No driver of white taxis has been caught failing to use the meter this year by Transport Malta but The Times found six drivers refusing to use their meters during a walk around Valletta last month.

Transport Malta said regular spot checks and inspections were carried out to ensure drivers of white taxis were abiding by the conditions of their licences.

“Obviously, the disclosure of such methods would jeopardise the whole exercise,” the spokesman said when asked to provide further details about the spot checks.

The Transport Ministry was asked why the new equipment had not yet been fitted in all taxis but it said it had nothing to add to Transport Malta’s comments.

Meanwhile, the Malta Tourism Authority said it was concerned with any form of overcharging to visiting tourists as this would harm the interests of the island’s tourism industry.

“We are sure that Transport Malta will continue to monitor this vital sector and will apply enforcement whenever deemed necessary,” a spokesman for the MTA said.

pcooke@timesofmalta.com