A number of youths who signed up for the scheme to surrender their licence for €25,000 say that they were not using it to drive in the first place, calling into question the scheme's effectiveness in tackling traffic congestion.
Car ownership is not a requirement for young people aged until 30 to benefit from the scheme, launched by the government to potentially reduce the number of cars on the road,
The Malta Independent spoke to three individuals who signed up for the scheme. Natalia (names have been changed to protect identity) said that she applied for the scheme because she has her licence but never actually uses it. She sold her car four years ago and currently relies on buses and taxis to make her way around.
"The sheer amount of traffic, issues with parking as well as the amount of money I spent to maintain the car just didn't make sense to me at the time," Natalia said. "I only used my car once, to drive to university, and since then I've never actually driven again".
Natalia commented that the €25,000 not only reimburses her the money she spent on driving lessons, but is also enough to put down a deposit on a property. It thus made sense for her to give up her licence, which she was not using anyway, to receive the money in return.
Another individual, Abel, said he signed up for the scheme because he has no interest in owning a car as he does not want to contribute to the traffic problem.
"I have not driven since I got my license," Abel said.
When asked whether he intended to start driving once the five years were up, he said that it depended on whether he needed one and whether there are good alternative options.
One more individual, Caroline, said that despite having a licence, she rarely drives, and so she thought it would be a good idea to surrender it and receive compensation.
"At this point, I rarely drive. Perhaps once every three months, probably even less," she said. "I haven't driven since the end of last year."
When the scheme was first announced in March 2025, the original plan was to offer the money to licence holders who own a car and have been driving in Malta for at last seven years, irrespective of age. However, when the scheme was finally released last January, the eligibility criteria were amended to include people aged 30 or younger who have had a driving license for at least 12 months and have resided in Malta for at least seven years. Notably, one does not need to own a car to partake in this scheme.
In a parliamentary question, Transport Minister Chris Bonett confirmed that applications so far account for "more than 50%" of the allocated funds.
While the government's scheme was presented as a bold measure to tackle traffic congestion, the information above suggests that the profiles of several applicants suggest it may not be targeting those who are actually contributing to the problem. If a significant portion of beneficiaries were already off the road, the initiative risks becoming less a traffic-reduction tool and more a financial windfall for individuals who had no intention of driving in the first place.
A statement issued by the National Statistics Office last month showed that in the last quarter of 2025, the number of licensed motor vehicles increased by 3,265. During the quarter under review, the stock of licensed motor vehicles increased at a net average rate of 35 motor vehicles per day.