As the government prepares to launch a new €25,000 grant for people who give up their driving licence for five years, it’s worth revisiting a similar proposal made by the Nationalist Party back in 2022.

In its electoral manifesto, the PN proposed granting people €10,000 – paid in instalments over five years – if they agreed to give up their personal vehicles, with the condition that they wouldn’t acquire another car during that period.

The government’s upcoming scheme has a similar policy method but a different approach.

It offers more than double the amount – €25,000 – also spread across five years, but the condition is different: people must surrender their driving licence rather than their vehicle.

This effectively means that under the new scheme, people can keep their cars but are not allowed to drive them or obtain another driving licence for the full five-year term.

The measure is expected to form part of an upcoming national strategy aimed at easing traffic congestion and promoting alternative transport.

However, several people have questioned whether the measure goes far enough to tackle Malta’s notorious traffic problem and whether people who regularly use their vehicles will actually take up this offer?

Which of these proposals do you prefer?