Highest bid for taxi license stood at €96,120

Transport Malta today awarded the last batch of new taxi licenses, after the authority was committed to issue 50 licenses by 2012.

22 June 2012, 12:00am

1 min read

The last batch of new taxi licenses have been awarded

Transport Malta has allocated 10 new taxi licenses after it had already issued another 40.

The allocation of the new licenses is in accordance with the Taxi Services Regulations (S.L. 499.59) published in 2010 which bound Transport Malta to issue 50 new Taxi licenses by 2012.

40 of the Taxi Licenses have already been issued and assigned.

Today's licenses were awarded after sealed bids were opened during a public session in the presence of a Government Notary, TM officials and the general public.

A total number of 64 bids were received. Transport Malta ranked the bids in the order of the highest bidder and awarded the licenses to the highest ten bidders ranked.

As per Regulations, the bids had a starting price of €20,000. The highest bid was of €96,120.00.

The accepted bidders are now expected to apply for the actual registration of the Taxi car for which the new Taxi Licence will be issued, within six months from being notified in writing that their bid has been accepted.

Transport Malta added that a new Taxi Licence shall only be issued to the accepted bidders on condition that the vehicles that they present for registration conform to all the conditions set out in the Taxi Services Regulations for the registration of new Taxi cars.

•

Eight years down the line of EU membership and the taxi industry is still a restricted area. We were promised exactly the opposite in 2003 by the PN in the run up to the EU referendum. But GonziPN has adopted an approach of convenience by supporting the 130 or so taxi owners, most of which are PN supporters to the detrement of a free service, thus more competitive and cheaper fares to taxi users. This is the reason why a taxi ride in Spain costs nothing but is so expensive in Malta. Come on GonziPN wake up and decide in favour of the Maltese citizen.