Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541835
MALTA has added 178 new cabs in the first three quarters of 2025, despite Prime Minister Robert Abela claiming last year the taxi market had become oversaturat- ed. Figures published by the Na- tional Statistics Office (NSO) show that after a very minor reduction in the number of ga- rage-hire vehicles in 2024, these continued to increase in 2025. While Malta had 5,028 ga- rage-hire vehicles in the first three months of the year, the number shot up to 5,206 by Sep- tember. The notable increase in such vehicles came on the back of a clear declaration by the prime minister that the cab market was saturated and no more permits will be issued to third-country nationals (TCNs) to work in the sector. While the NSO car statistics say nothing about, who drives the vehicles, industry insiders who spoke to MaltaToday said they find it hard to believe that the 176 new cabs would all be driven by Maltese nationals, given that they have slowly been pushed out of the market by low fares and as- tronomical expenses. In view of the statistics, the Light Passenger Operators As- sociation (LPOA) has publicly asked the prime minister and Transport Minister Chris Bon- net for an explanation of the numbers. MaltaToday has sent questions to Transport Malta and the Em- ployment Ministry, which reg- ulates work permits, seeking an explanation for the new cab li- cences. No reply was received by the time this article went to print. This is not the first time Abe- la's "no more workers needed" statement was contradicted by statistics. Less than six months after Ab- ela claimed hundreds of TCNs applying to work as taxi drivers were having their permits re- fused, 307 foreign workers were granted Transport Malta (TM) tags needed to drive cabs. Industry insiders had explained that the likely reason behind the still-growing number of foreign cab drivers at the time was be- cause the new regulations did not take into consideration for- eigners already residing in Malta. Requests to bring over foreigners to work in the cab industry were indeed being rejected but those who were already in Malta for over six months could still obtain a driver's licence and apply for a cab driver tag. Days after Abela's promise, Malta's largest ride-hailing app, Bolt, raised its prices due to a "low supply of cabs". This prompted a strong response from the LPOA at the time, accusing Bolt of retal- iating against the government's attempts to regulate the market. After the price hike in the sum- mer, fares stabilised and cab pric- es began to decrease again. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 DECEMBER 2025 NEWS Malta sees 178 new cabs on its roads in 2025 despite market oversaturation claims NSO figures show that 178 new cabs were added to Malta's roads in 2025 (File photo) Imposing monument for the Virgin Mary proposed on Fgura roundabout THE Fgura local council has pre- sented plans for the erection of a 15-metre-high religious monu- ment dedicated to the locality's patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. According to the drawings sub- mitted in the planning applica- tion, the monument will rise 15 metres above street level, roughly the height of a four- to five-storey building. It consists of a white, lean 9.5-metre Corinthian column on a 1.5-metre pedestal topped by a 3-metre statue of the Madonna. A time capsule is also being pro- posed in the monument's pedes- tal. The new monument on the roundabout opposite the Tip Top and Crosscraft showrooms will replace another smaller secular monument depicting the coat of arms of the locality. The present monument will be moved to an- other roundabout in Triq id-Dej- ma. The erection of the statue and pedestal was unanimously ap- proved by the local council in Oc- tober. The council had previously ap- pointed a board entrusted with finding a suitable location for the monument. However, some divergent opin- ions were expressed regarding the direction the monument should face. Mayor Clayton Cascun Portelli, who had initially favoured positioning the monument to face the locality's church, abided by the board's recommendation that it should instead face Paola. When a vote was taken, four councillors, including the mayor, voted for the Madonna to face Paola, while two, including mi- nority leader and PN councillor Charles Bonello and PL councillor Adrian Tanti, voted for it to face the locality's church. Monument proposed on roundabout opposite Tiptop to replace one dedicated to the locality, which will be moved to another roundabout Render of the monument being proposed by the Fgura council The existing monument depicting Fgura's coat of arms will be moved to another roundabout