Crackdown on cab operators: April deadline for public service garages is ‘do or die’
Transport Malta’s crackdown on the cab sector intensifies in 2025, with licences suspended for failure to secure public service garages. As the deadline for compliance looms, TM warns operators, ‘it’s a do or die’ situation for those who fail to meet the 18 April deadline

Malta’s cab sector is set to experience a shake-up in 2025 due to a clampdown by Transport Malta (TM), which could result in some major players losing their operating licences indefinitely.
In January 2025, TM began cracking down on cab operators who had ignored regulations requiring them to park their cabs in public service garages (PSGs).
Since 2023, MaltaToday was among the first to report widespread abuse by dozens of cab operators, who have always been bound by law to park their vehicles in PSGs overnight. At the time, TM had not sufficiently enforced the law, leading to an unregulated environment where those abusing the system and law-abiding businesses both suffered.
In October 2023, TM announced new regulations targeting operators with five or more vehicles in their fleet, aiming to curb abuse in the sector. These operators were ordered to keep their vehicles garaged in a PSG when not in use and were given 12 months to comply.
Despite the one-year grace period, a number of operators still lacked the required garage space. As a result, TM granted them an extension until the end of 2024. Operators were required to submit a planning application showing that they had applied for a PSG. Those who showed TM they were working on securing a PSG were informed that they must have an approved permit by 18 April 2025.
This time, TM took decisive action, suspending no less than 69 operators’ licences on 7 January 2025 for failing to submit the necessary planning application.
A few days later, on 23 January, TM suspended the operating licence of Malta’s largest cab company, WT Global. The company had attracted public attention in April 2024 when MaltaToday conducted an in-depth investigation into its accounts, revealing a staggering revenue growth of 493.9% in just one year, among other questionable practices.
In January 2025, the Times of Malta revealed that the company’s operating licence had been suspended.
However, while 69 cab operators were stripped of their licences for failing to apply for a PSG, WT Global’s licence was revoked due to false declarations made to TM. MaltaToday understands that WT Global had submitted at least eight planning applications for PSGs in 2024.
A TM spokesperson told MaltaToday that the declarations concerned addresses falsely listed as commercial garages. MaltaToday understands that this issue has been ongoing for years and is not limited to WT Global.
The spokesperson explained that once caught, operators who provided false declarations can only have their licence reinstated by appealing the suspension with TM. If the appeal is rejected, the operator can further appeal the decision before the Administrative Review Tribunal.
The spokesperson added that the authority’s architects and technical teams are conducting daily spot checks to identify any other operators who have submitted false declarations.
Furthermore, the spokesperson clarified that the 18 April deadline is a “do or die” date for operators who must secure a PSG. This means that any operator that does not have an approved PSG permit by that date will not be allowed to work in the sector.