Malta's largest cab company has licence revoked

Malta's largest cab company, WT Global is among a number of operators whose licence has been revoked in a regulatory clampdown.

In 2024, MaltaToday had revealed that the company's revenue had exploded by 493.9% in just one year. The company is Malta’s strongest player in the ride-hailing industry when it comes to the size of its fleet. In 2024, the company owned 269 y-plate vehicles, but the figure reached 309 just by last December.

According to the Times of Malta, WT Global and TXGO have both had their operating licences revoked, while ride-hailing apps like Bolt and eCabs have been instructed to remove the companies' vehicles from their platforms.

During the past weeks, Transport Malta has been clamping down on illegally parked y-plate vehicles. These vehicles must be parked off-street or in garages. The issue of illegally parked y-plate cars had been flagged by MaltaToday in 2023. Cab owners were legally required to submit the address of a garage that will be used to park their vehicle when not in use. However, when filling out applications, owners would list random addresses as their garage location, yet their permit would be approved.

Around 900 such vehicles have been taken off the road, but the revocation of the two firms' licences brings the total number of suspended licences up to around 1,400.