The Light Passenger Operators Association (LPOA) has filed a judicial protest against Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry, accusing them of turning a blind eye to abusive cab operators that have now grown to oversaturate the market.

On Monday, the cab lobby detailed how years of overlooking abuse in the sector has led to an industry where those who work irregularly get ahead and outgrow law-abiding operators.

The judicial protest makes reference to how government lowered the barriers of entry into the sector in 2019, describing the "PSG Reform" as a turning point for the industry.

They note that since 2020, the sector "exploded" and has now become oversaturated. "This was allowed to happen because regulations were not being enforced, so much so that some operators were allowed to operate freely and continued to work illegally."

Some of the irregularities listed include false declarations regarding garage addresses, and irregular distribution of Y-plate tags. 

Since 2023, MaltaToday reported cases where cab operators hid their Y-plate vehicles in order to circumvent garaging rules. This newspaper had also seen emails of residents who inform Transport Malta (TM) of the abuse to no avail.

In their judicial protest, LPOA explains that once the market became oversaturated, unxeperienced drives dominated the sector, leading insurance providers to increase coverage by as much as 300%. 

The lobby further claimed that instead of bringing the hammer down on abusers, authorities took drastic measures to control the sector that disproportionately affected small law-abiding operators.

LPOA stressed that those who worked irregularly are still operating and growing to this day.

The judicial protest made no mention of specific operators, however this newspaper has reported that big players in the industry have raised eyebrows. Last year, MaltaToday revealed the company's suspicious accounts, showing how its revenue increased by almost 500% in just one year.

WT Global is also among a number of companies who owe the taxman millions in unpaid VAT.

The cab lobby also took issue with government statements that try to convince the public that authorities removed hundreds of non-compliant Y-plate vehicles from roads, despite the fact that almost all of them are now back in business.

"Whatever happens, at this stage no one can fix the damage that's been done during these past five years; operators and their families have been made victims of rampant abuse," LPOA say in their judicial protest.

The judicial protest was filed by lawyers Zack Esmail and Matthew Paris.