(Adds Transport Malta's reaction)

Taxi drivers will now have to wear uniforms, issue receipts and be of “good repute” under new regulations enacted last week.

The government’s 20-page legal notice listing dozens of amendments to the existing Taxi Services Regulations was published on Christmas Eve and sets higher standards for drivers, vehicles and even passengers.

The original regulations described taxi drivers as having to be of “good repute and good conduct”. However, this was never defined, meaning the authorities had little criteria against which to evaluate drivers, their performance or their eligibility for the job in the first place.

The bulk of the new legal notice is dedicated to defining this standard and lists the laws drivers cannot have broken if applying for a licence and taxi permit. These include large parts of the Criminal Code and the Traffic Regulation Ordinance.

New applicants cannot apply while serving a prison sentence, suspended or actual. And sentences handed down for a schedule of serious offences will see drivers unable to get back behind the wheel before a window which matches their actual sentence.

That means if a taxi driver serves five years for grievous bodily harm, they will have to wait another five years before being eligible for a taxi driver permit.

Drivers will have to wear new identity tags while on duty and will be given a uniform to be designed in consultation with drivers’ representatives.

Those who amass 500 penalty points on their licence will have their taxi permit suspended for a period decided upon by the authorities. The amendments also set standards for vehicles used as taxis. First-time permits will only be issued to new vehicles with a minimum engine capacity of 1,400cc.

They will have to have “ample head space and leg room” and working air conditioning.

Taxis will have to be fitted with trackers and an emergency button, which should be displayed well within reach of both passengers and drivers.

Passengers found to have “soiled” the interior of the taxi can be charged up to €50. Littering inside the taxi could also see passengers being charged.

The regulations set out prices taxi drivers are obliged to follow. The most expensive one-way trip stretches from Cirkewwa to Marsascala and will cost commuters €40.

A two-hour “tour” will set passengers back €50, while an eight-hour tour will come in at a whopping €140.

New regulations for animal-drawn vehicles

• New regulations including licence and insurance requirements for animal-drawn vehicles have been issued by the Transport Ministry following lengthy consultation.

• The regulations ban certain categories of animal-drawn vehicles from the roads during rush hour traffic.

• The issue of animals on the roads came to a head last year when a horse bolted and was seriously injured in Ħamrun. The government pledged to regulate the practice and came out with a series of proposals after consultation.

• The new regulations, which will come into force over the next six months, provide that no animal or animal-drawn vehicle may be used on the roads unless licensed.

• Licences will only be issued on presentation of the animal’s identity document, issued by the Director of Veterinary Services, and a certificate on the animal’s general physical condition. Animals cannot be ridden on the road without a saddle.

• Special road insurance will cover the death or bodily injury to any person or damage to any property caused by an animal or animal-drawn vehicle for a total liability of no less than €250,000.

Transport Malta's reaction

In a reaction, Transport Malta said the legal notice, which amended the Taxi Services Regulations, was drawn up following consultation between the authority and the taxi owner’s association, particularly over the last two years.

The amendments were intended to improve the taxi experience for customers and the regulatory framework while simplifying administrative procedures to ensure effective implementation and enforcement.

The authority said that the principal regulations already defined the good repute and good conduct requirements applicable for taxi operators and stipulated that the same requirements should also apply for taxi drivers.

Transport Malta also said that vehicle standards were already set in the principal regulations. The main change was that the surveillance camera in taxis became an optional, rather than a mandatory requirement.

Surveillance cameras, it said, caused battery depletion in some vehicles and reduced customer confidence because of privacy issues.