Updated - Transport Malta said this evening that cab operators should be obliged to erect and maintain horse shelters to reduce the hardship of animals.
In a statement, the Authority said it rejected the accusation made at a oress conference this morning, that it was insensitive to the conditions of horses, even though it was not the competent authority to protect animal rights.
Under present legislation, it explained, cab licences issued to operators were not linked to proper treatment of horses.
"In the negotiations being held with operators, Transport Malta is insisting on this new condition and it is insisting that cab operators be obliged to erect and maintain horse shelters to reduce the hardship of the animals and to ensure proper segregation between waiting cabs and other road and pavement users - they are not so obliged today."
Transport Malta said it was also insisting that heavy penalties be introduced - including the loss of the operating licence - in the event of lack of care or proper grooming of the horses.
The Authority said operators needed to appreciate that horse shelters could not, for practical, aesthetic, planning, traffic and accessibility reasons, be set up at every single waiting point that is used today by horse cabs. While it was willing to facilitate the required funding, a commercial operation such as the horse-cab service should not expect public funds to be used to compensate for legal obligations of commercial operators, in this case the obligation to ensure that animals were not made to suffer unnecessarily.
"TM will continue to facilitate and help within the limits of its remit for a solution to be found but we must express our dismay that it would appear from reports of what the cab owners are reported to have told the press today that they expect TM or any other public authority to erect structures for shelters as some form of publicly funded subsidy," Transport Malta said.
The appeal for the government to help develop shelters for horse cab drivers was made this morning by Floriana council and the Animal Rights Group.
Both criticised the government’s dragging of feet in the setting up of the long promised shelters.
Miriam Kinend, from the ARG, said it was unacceptable that the horses were left to stand outside in the sun for long hours without any form of protection.
She criticised Transport Minister Austin Gatt for not keeping his promise to set up horse shelters.
Ms Kinend said the shelters, which were planned to be around the island, remained on paper. It seemed there was an issue between Mepa and Transport Malta but the ARG would continue to pressure for the situation to be solved
Floriana mayor Nigel Holland agreed that it was shameful that the government did not set up the horse shelters for animals, who suffered enormously in the sun.
Cab driver Kevin Debono said the owners cared more for these horses than they did for than they did for themselves but they were fed up of getting fined whenever they tried to move the horses to the shade.