Bonett’s car reduction measures stuck in traffic

A list of 45 traffic-reduction measures, announced by Transport Minister Chris Bonett in March, has yet to be implemented as traffic conditions continue to deteriorate, leading to an increase in accidents and fatalities among drivers and commuters.

Sources at Transport Malta informed The Shift that while these ‘short-term’ measures were intended to be rolled out quickly and with great fanfare, they are still under review. The delay is mainly due to the lack of new funding from the Finance Ministry for their implementation.

When questioned by The Shift about the status of his initiatives—especially the controversial ‘cash-for-licence’ scheme—Minister Bonett failed to respond. He also failed to address the progress of his other medium- and long-term proposals to tackle the traffic issue, which he had also promised last March.

“It appears that the Minister’s ideas were not well-received by the Finance Ministry, which insists that they represent a total waste of money. The Minister is still attempting to secure the €15 million he proposed to spend by the end of the year, but has not been successful so far,” sources said.

The central component of Bonett’s proposals is a “cash-for-licence” scheme through which vehicle owners would be offered €25,000 over five years, provided they surrender their driving licence and vehicle registration plates. If implemented, the payments will be disbursed in annual instalments of €5,000.

In March, Bonett said that not all of the €15 million allocated annually—totalling €75 million over five years—would be directed towards this scheme, which further diminishes its overall impact.

The Transport Minister had also announced a range of other taxpayer-funded incentives aimed at reducing the number of vehicles on the roads, none of which has been implemented.

Furthermore, a promised fast ferry service from Bugibba to Gozo and Sliema has not commenced despite the start of the peak summer tourism season.

When announced, experts quickly criticised Bonett’s plan, labelling it ineffective and a misuse of public funds. The Minister also faced significant resistance from his cabinet colleagues, many of whom dismissed his plans as lacking substance and direction. However, Prime Minister Robert Abela told Ministers that Bonett should be allowed to take a proactive approach to address the serious issue of traffic congestion, at least to be seen as doing something.

According to statistics presented in parliament a few weeks ago, between 2018 and 2024, Transport Malta registered over 164,000 new vehicles—many of which were second-hand—averaging 64 new registrations per day. The number of scrapped cars during this period is unknown. By the end of 2024, Malta’s congested road network had nearly 446,000 registered vehicles.