Taxi Services (Amendment) Regulations, 2011

L.N. 33 of 2011

AUTHORITY FOR TRANSPORT

IN MALTA ACT

(CAP. 499)

TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDINANCE

(CAP. 65)

Taxi Services (Amendment) Regulations, 2011

IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 43 of the

Authority for Transport in Malta Act and by article 54 of the Traffic

Regulation Ordinance, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport

and Communications has, after consultation with the Authority for

Transport in Malta, made the following regulations:-

The title of these regulations is the Taxi Services Title.

(Amendment) Regulations, 2011 and they shall be read and

construed as one with the Taxi Services Regulations, 2010, L.N. 369 of 2010.

hereinafter referred to as “the principal regulations”.

Regulation 1 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in sub-regulation (2) thereof, for the words

“paragraphs (h), (i) and (j)” there shall be substituted

the words “paragraphs (h), (i), (j) and (k)” and for the

words “regulation 39” there shall be substituted the words

“regulations 38 and 39”; and

(b) in sub-regulation (3) thereof, for the words

“Paragraphs (h), (i) and (j)” there shall be substituted

the words “Paragraphs (h), (i), (j) and (k)” and for the

words “regulation 39” there shall be substituted the words

“regulations 38 and 39”.

Regulation 2 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in the definition “electric light quadricycle”, for the

words “electric light quadricycle” there shall be substituted

the words “electric quadricycle”;

(b)

in the definition “electric taxi”, for the words

“electric light quadricycle” there shall be substituted the

words “electric quadricycle”; and

(c) immediately after the definition “stand for hire”

there shall be inserted the following new definition

“ “surveillance camera” means a camera which

captures images and projects those images into an

electric signal to be further processed;”.

In the principal regulations for the words “electric taxi”

and “electric taxis”, wherever they appear, there shall be substituted

the words “electric mini cab” and “electric mini cabs” respectively.

In sub-regulation (6) of regulation 8 of the principal

regulations, for the words “sub-regulation (4)” there shall be

substituted the words “sub-regulation (5)”.

Regulation 20 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in paragraph (h) thereof, the words “as specified by

the Authority from time to time” shall be deleted;

(b) in paragraph (i) thereof, the words “which

conforms” to “from time to time” shall be deleted;

(c) paragraph (j) thereof shall be renumbered as

paragraph (k);

(d) immediately after paragraph (i) thereof, there shall

be inserted the following new paragraph

“(j)

is fitted with a surveillance camera;”;

(e) in paragraph (k) as renumbered, for the words

“driver, in accordance with” to “from time to time.” there

shall be substituted the words “driver.”; and

(f) immediately after paragraph (k) as renumbered,

there shall be added the following new paragraph

“(l) the devices mentioned in paragraphs (h), (i),

(j) and (k) shall conform to the Technical Specifications

for Taxi Peripheral Devices published by the Authority

from time to time.”.

Regulation 21 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) for sub-regulation (17) thereof, there shall be

substituted the following

“(17) Where an operator submits to the Authority,

together with an application for a taxi licence, a request

for the deletion of the licence of another taxi, the taxi

licence being applied for shall be considered as a

replacement of the licence being deleted.” ; and

(b) immediately after sub-regulation (17) thereof, there

shall be added the following new sub-regulation

“(18) The Authority may issue a temporary

taxi licence, for a period not exceeding six months, to

an operator in respect of a motor vehicle which would

have to be used instead of a licensed taxi operated by

that operator where that licensed taxi has been damaged

in an accident or has been written-off following an

accident, provided that the vehicle being temporarily

licensed as a taxi conforms to the provisions of these

regulations other than paragraph (a) of regulation 20 and

it is no more than ten years old.”.

In sub-regulation (3) of regulation 23 of the principal

regulations for the words “year of manufacture.” there shall be

substituted the words “year of manufacture:”, and immediately

after there shall be inserted the following proviso

“Provided that in respect of a taxi which has been

licensed before the 1st November, 2010 and which on that

date had reached its tenth year from its year of manufacture,

the taxi may continue to have its licence renewed until it

reaches the twentieth year from its year of manufacture.”.

Regulation 24 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in sub-regulation (1) thereof, for the word “TAXI”

there shall be substituted the words “TAXI M”;

(b) in sub-regulation (3) thereof, for the word “TAXI”

there shall be substituted the words “TAXI M”; and

(c) in sub-regulation (5) thereof, immediately after

the words “on a white background” there shall be inserted

the words “in respect of taxis licensed to be operated only in

Malta and in red on a white background in respect of taxis

licensed to be operated only in Gozo”, and after the words “in

height and” there shall be inserted the words “not more than”.

For regulation 28 of the principal regulations there shall

be substituted the following

“28. A taxi, other than an electric mini cab, shall be

white in colour at the time it is being licensed as a taxi.”.

For sub-regulation (1) of regulation 29 of the principal

regulations there shall be substituted the following

“(1) Without prejudice to the provision of regulation

28, a taxi may display advertisements and the taxi operations

contact detail on any part of its body other than, in the case

of a taxi which is not an electric mini cab, on the bonnet, the

front doors, the front mudguards and wheel-arches which

shall remain at all times painted white in colour.”.

Regulation 33 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in sub-regulation (1) thereof, for the words

“Electric light quadricycles” there shall be substituted the

words “Only new electric quadricycles”;

(b) for paragraph (a) of sub-regulation (1) thereof,

there shall be substituted the following

“(a)

paragraphs (a), (b), (e), (g) to (l) of regulation

20;”;

(c) in paragraph (b) of sub-regulation (1) thereof, for

the words “regulation 21(5)” there shall be substituted the

words “regulation 21(4) and (5)”;

(d) in paragraph (a) of sub-regulation (2) thereof, for

the words “regulations 35 to 46”, there shall be substituted

the words “regulations 34, and 35 to 46”, and in the proviso

thereof, for the words “regulation 42(3), there shall be

substituted the words “regulation 42(2) and (3)”; and

(e) for paragraph (c) of sub-regulation (2) thereof there

shall be substituted the following

“(c) sub-regulations (2) to (4) of regulation 58.”.

Immediately after sub-regulation (5) of regulation 34

of the principal regulations there shall be added the following new

sub-regulation

“(6) Different designs of taxi signs may be approved

by the Authority provided they comply with the provisions of

this regulation.”.

Immediately after regulation 34 of the principal

regulations there shall be inserted the following new regulation

(1) Electric mini cabs shall display an

“Electric mini

cab sign.

electrically illuminated MINI CAB sign fitted on the

front middle part of the roof between the front doors.

(2) The sign shall display the words MINI

CAB in black letters on a white background.

(3) The dimensions and design of the sign,

which shall be made from durable material, shall be

subject to the approval of the Authority.”.

15. In sub-regulation (1) of regulation 35 of the principal Amends

regulations, for the words “on the front side doors of the taxi below regulations.

the progressive number” there shall be substituted the words “as

may be approved by the Authority”.

16. Immediately after sub-regulation (4) of regulation 36

of the principal regulations there shall be added the following new

sub-regulation

“(5) Taximeters shall, with effect from the 1st May,

2011 comply with the Technical Specifications for Taxi

Peripheral Devices published by the Authority.”.

17. Regulation 67 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in paragraph (c) of sub-regulation (1) thereof, the

words “sub-regulation (1) of” shall be deleted;

(b) in sub-regulation (3) thereof, for the words “sub-

regulation (1)” there shall be substituted the words “sub-

regulations (1) and (4)”;

(c) sub-regulation (4) thereof shall be renumbered as

sub-regulation (5); and

(d) immediately after sub-regulation (3) thereof, there

shall be inserted the following new sub-regulation

“(4) A person who is found guilty of contravening

the provisions of sub-regulation (6) of regulation 29

shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine (ammenda) of

five hundred euro (€500).”.

18. Regulation 77 of the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) in sub-regulation (1) thereof, for the words “three

months” wherever they appear, there shall be substituted the

words “six months”; and

(b) in paragraph (a) of sub-regulation (2) thereof, the

words “or Part 5” shall be deleted.

19. In regulation 78 of the principal regulations, for the

words “three months” there shall be substituted the words “six

months”.

€0.56