“He told me there was no evidence of what I was wearing and the officer that issued the ticket did not show up so I was acquitted. It only took half a minute.”

Izuakor was confused when he got fined last November, stating that he is a self-employed driver and that Uber never gave him a dress code.

“I would have understood if it was a case of indecent exposure but you can’t say that I was improperly dressed in a T-shirt and knee-level shorts,” he said.

“If my passengers think I’m not properly dressed, they will complain to my employer but I don’t know how traffic officers have become fashion police.”

He also asked how the TM official punished him but didn’t fine other cab drivers nearby who were wearing similar outfits.

The summons, issued by LESA, stated that Izuakor’s contravention was that he “failed to wear uniform as approved by the Public Transport Authority whilst on duty” in accordance with Motor Vehicles Regulations 131.

The cited law includes regulations for drivers of vehicles used to carry passengers for hire, including a provision stating that “the driver of any motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward, other than a vehicle regulated by the Passenger Transport Services Regulations, shall, whilst on duty, wear a uniform of the pattern and colour as approved by the Authority [Transport Malta]”.

Have you ever been fined for an extremely odd reason?