The Maltese fleet owner, whose business model involves engaging part-time food delivery couriers – who already have a full-time job in Malta – to operate on Bolt Food during peak hours expressed his frustration at the current situation.

“We have invested money in our operations but we’re losing business,” he warned. “We’ve been trying to speak with JobsPlus an other government entities for the past month but no one is helping us. If they want to shut us down, we’d rather they tell us straight out so we can sell all our investments and stop living in hope. I have bank loans and need to raise a family but I have been left in the dark.”

The fleet owner questioned why the ban on new TCN couriers also extends to people who already have a full-time job in Malta but want to work a part-time job on the side.

“To obtain a secondary employment licenses for a part-time job, your full-time license needs to be in order,” he said. “There’s too much vetting involved for a part-timer to work irregularly like we’re seeing with this ID card racket.”

The government has said the ban was necessary to combat overpopulation problems and, in the case of Y plates, to safeguard self-employed Maltese drivers whose income has shrunk due to a higher supply of drivers.

However, this fleet owner has a different perspective of the situation and doesn’t believe the market is saturated.

“Demand for food delivery and cabs has grown in recent years. People now want their food delivered to them at home and on the beach, it’s a new commodity that allows you to order food from whichever restaurant you want. It also solves grocery shopping problems for people who work long hours – for example, my mother is constantly swamped with work and finds the app very convenient.”

“Rather than waiting an hour for a bus to arrive, you can now order a cab and be at your destination in a matter on minutes even if you’re on a budget. Most drivers are foreign too but they haven’t been impacted by this ban.”

“So it’s fine for the government if third-country nationals are employed to provide an inefficient service like public transport, but not if they’re providing an efficient service that can take you from A to B in a matter of minutes or delivering food and groceries to you.”

“This is not to mention what a lifesaver these apps were to restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government keeps saying that thank God they gave money to the people during the pandemic, but these apps saved three quarters of restaurants from closing down for good.”

He also warned that higher cab prices, as a result of fewer drivers, might well encourage drunk driving.

“If a cab costs €15 for three people, ie. €5 per person, then it’s a pittance, but if it shoots up to €40, they’ll be more likely to use their own car, especially considering that buses don’t operate around the clock. The government is urging people not to drink and drive but it isn’t even noticing these points.”

He urged the government not to forget about the interests of clients.

“My belief is that any business grows organically by word of mouth and reputation, and if you don’t take care of your client you won’t manage to retain them or attract new ones. Some people will now stop using these services because they won’t want to wait 20 minutes for a cab or to order food and have it delivered cold.”

He also said the government must publish a study that found the market for cab drivers and couriers saturated.

“It needs to publish it 100%. If it’s going to take a decision like this, stakeholders must be informed of the facts, and then we can release our own numbers and compare them.”

“Only 5-6% of TCNs in Malta work in this market, but the government is targeting them because they’re the most visible in our streets. People constantly about them, but then use their services and don’t want to do their jobs, and after the government didn’t get the numbers it was hoping for at the election, it decided to target them.”