The legal notice tweaking the rules for taxis will not be worth the paper it is written on unless it is enforced.

The move is the latest in a long list of initiatives taken over the decades to improve the service as well as to curb abuse, particularly with regard to the fares charged.

Years ago, all taxis formed part of the White Taxi Amalgamated, with all the poor service and abuse that monopolies bring with them. Many taxis were old vehicles with ripped seats, foul-mouthed and unhelpful drivers and the fares depended on what the drivers felt the punter was worth. This attitude gave the good guys a bad name that defied all attempts to improve the service and kept usage low.

The recently-announced provisions are likely to cause people to roll their eyes given the many previous unsuccessful attempts. There is a bewildering sense of déjà vu.

Taxi meters became compulsory in 1984 and a ticketing office was opened at the airport in 1997 for people to pre-pay. In 2006, the White Taxi Amalgamated Association agreed to install meters, wear uniforms, carry identification tags and follow a code of conduct penalty system (all these measures feature in the new legal notice again). In 2010, surveillance cameras were supposed to be installed in taxis (though it never happened).

And, yet, Transport Malta and the Malta Tourism Authority continued to be plagued by complaints with taxis one of the main negative experiences reported by tourists.

In 2013, the Times of Malta had reported that only 166 out of 300 taxis had the mandatory system in place. At the time, many taxi drivers complained the systems they were meant to install were affecting their car batteries. In contrast, black taxis had somehow found a way out and managed to come in line, even if a little step at a time.

Commuters now had a choice between professionally-run companies, which invested in vehicles, driver training and efficient ways to book trips, and others who seemed more interested in making a quick buck.

This not only benefited individuals but also businesses handling groups of customers, such as hotels or restaurants. As a result, new companies emerged that could be booked online and via apps and who offered service with a smile through smartly-dressed polite drivers.

Competition yielded fruit: generally speaking, white taxis (and drivers) are now smarter and better run.

But there is still no real competition in fares because they are fixed and are still often unilaterally negotiated. Self-employed drivers seem to work them out based on the income they want to take home, divided by the number of trips they could feasibly expect to pick up.

It is a chicken and egg situation: would more people consider taking taxis if the rates were more reasonable? But why would a taxi driver want to work harder and do more trips for the same income?

There are at present about 250 licensed taxis in Malta and 50 in Gozo. Can all survive?

Overseas, Uber, which accounts for 46 per cent of US rides, up from 15 per cent in the 2014, forced all taxi operators to improve their game and slash their prices.

Maltese taxi operators need to realise that it is in their best interest to abide by the law, raise the standards and offer good value for money. The best way to promote their service is through satisfied clients who would be willing to consider taxis as another efficient component of public transport.