Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said that there are no plans to remove karozzini, following a protest where Animal Liberation Malta activists called for a ban on karozzini.

Activists called a protest in Valletta on Saturday calling for a ban on karozzini and instead suggested they are replaced with electric cabbies.

When Farrugia was asked whether the Ministry was considering this, he simply said "No, not exploring that."

Animal Liberation Malta suggested that Transport Malta should even issue a special grant for cabby drivers for them to go electric. Activist Haroon Ali said during the event that “apart from the transition to electrification, we also propose that no new licences for cabby drivers should be issued. Furthermore, a grandfather clause should be triggered whereby existing horses will be allowed to continue working, yet upon retiring the cabby owner cannot replace the horse with a new horse but rather go to an electric option.”

Additionally, Animal Liberation Malta are suggesting that all other horse-drawn carriages even horse-drawn hearses should be banned since there are adequate alternatives.

Update on new transport fines and penalties

Farrugia announced new transport fines and penalty points, at the beginning of February, and said that these are set to come into force through a Legal Notice after they are approved by Cabinet.

Asked to give an update on this, Farrugia said that Transport Malta has informed him that in the next week, or the week after these will be published in the government gazette.

These new fines and penalty points are part of the government's new action plan to improve road safety, which will run till 2030. This plan also includes the establishment of a new Transport Safety Investigations Commission which will be tasked with, among other things, investigating fatal road accidents.

Asked to give an update on this, he said that information from the public consultation is being gathered. He said within the coming weeks they will have the opportunity to finalise and announce it.

Farrugia's Ministry has been under heavy scrutiny after 2022 reported the most road fatalities in a year in Malta, with 26 road deaths. This year there have been three road fatalities so far, or four if you count Pelin Kaya's murder.

Just last Saturday, a group of activists gathered in front of parliament asking for safer roads to prevent more road deaths. Activists were seen lying down pretending to be dead.