Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538811
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 AUGUST 2025 NEWS MIA proposes dedicated lane for ride-hailing vehicles THE Malta International Air- port (MIA) plans to reconfigure its main public car park, includ- ing the introduction of a dedi- cated Y-plate lane for taxis and ride-hailing vehicles. The upgrade, outlined in a re- cently presented planning appli- cation will also add 66 additional parking spaces and reorganise landscaping around the facility, aiming to improve accessibility and passenger flow. A spokesperson for MIA ex- plained that the airport has commissioned a traffic study to address congestion along the airport ring road. Based on the study's recommendations, the main car park will be redesigned to include a perimeter lane ex- clusively for Y-plate vehicles. "This will allow taxis and ride-hailing vehicles to pick up and drop off passengers directly from the car park, thereby easing traffic in the area," the spokes- person explained. Once the upgrade is complete, passengers using ride-hailing services will be guided to level -1 of the car park via a tunnel, leading to a designated pick-up and drop-off point. Ride-hailing operators will update their ap- plications so that the location is clearly marked, ensuring that passengers and drivers can easily find it. The airport confirmed that temporary measures introduced in July, which included a new ride-hailing pick-up point in the main outdoor car park, will re- main in place until the reconfig- uration is completed. Passengers are already being directed from the welcomers' hall to the car park. According to MIA the only change in the new plans will be that Y-plate vehi- cles will also use this route for drop-offs, which were previously managed at the terminal façade. Before the new temporary sys- tem came in place in July, passen- gers who booked taxis through ride-hailing services like Uber, Bolt, and eCabs were picked up right outside the arrivals hall. That decision followed calls from the Malta Taxi Licensed Association for a separate pick- up point for ride-hailing taxis, located further away from arriv- als. The planned upgrade reflects a broader trend at airports glob- ally, where dedicated lanes for taxis and ride-hailing vehicles are increasingly used to reduce congestion, improve safety, and streamline passenger flows. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The planned upgrade reflects a broader trend at airports globally, where dedicated lanes for taxis and ride-hailing vehicles are increasingly used to reduce congestion, improve safety, and streamline passenger flows (Photo: Malta International Aiport)