Parkers are generally quite controversial figures in Malta, with countless online debates initiated on whether or not this old practice should be eliminated for good. And while some parkers are respected and even loved by many locals and tourists alike, there seems to be one particular parker who’s getting quite some flak for his latest antics.

According to a report by Times of Malta which appeared online this morning, a parker at a public car park in Ta’ Qali is harassing drivers to pay a fixed fee. To make matters worse, a sign erected by Transport Malta in the same car park specifically says that it is meant for public use and that any payment is voluntary. The sign might have been weathered by now, but its message is still very evident.

Recently, the parker reportedly closed off one of the entrances of the car park and demanded a €2.50 entrance fee. When asked whether he would be issuing any receipts to drivers, the parker said he wouldn’t because the place was a “private area.” And while some people did end up paying the fee because they needed to park there, one driver later found the headlamps of her car smashed, only to be later told by the parker that he hadn’t seen anything.

People who regularly park in the area told TOM that this was not the first time that parking attendants harassed them, especially during summer. Multiple weekly parties are organised around the island during the hot season, and the car park in question is a very short walk away from one of Malta’s biggest clubbing villages outside of Paceville.

The news follows frequent discussion threads online, including a post on the popular Facebook forum The Salott which was shared this weekend. In the post, a Facebook user asked whether it’s obligatory to give these parkers money, and had dozens of people condemning the legality of Maltese parkers’ “faux-job”.

Last November, Transport Malta had announced that no new licences for car park attendants will be issued. Having said that, it also specified that it would be renewing all the existing licenses on an annual basis, making the current generation of parkers in Malta the last ever. When Illum had confronted Transport Malta on the issue of tips given to parkers (which can easily amount to hundreds, if not thousands, of Euro per day in certain busy parking areas), the answer was simple; there is no obligation for car park attendants to declare this income.

What do you make of this situation? Let us know in the comments below

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).