18/Jan/2017 at 15:22 Press Release 18 January 2017 - Three Grant Schemes on Environment Friendly Vehicles     As announced during the Budget 2017, Transport Malta in conjunction with the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure, is launching various grant schemes to further promote environment friendly vehicles.  The schemes aim  at reducing emissions generated from road traffic and thus improving the air quality levels.   The schemes offer grants when purchasing a new environment friendly vehicle,  when converting  vehicle’s fuel system to Autogas/LPG and  when purchasingBattery Electric Vehicle and Battery Electric Quadricycle.     New Grant Scheme on the Purchase of New EnvironmentFriendly Vehicles             Transport Malta will bereceiving applications for the New Grant Scheme on the Purchase of New Environment-Friendly Vehicles.Subject to various conditions, the grant is as follows;   a)      €900 will be given to persons registering a new Category M1 vehicle with CO2 emission levels up to 100g/km; b)      €700 will be given to persons registering a new Category M1 vehicle with CO2 emission levels between 101 and 130g/km; c)       €3,000 will be given to persons registering a new Category M1 Plug in Hybrid vehicle with CO₂emissions 1-50 g/km; d)      €2,000 will be given to persons registering a new category M1 Hybrid Vehicle with CO₂emissions between 50-65 g/km;   The grant shall be given upon the purchase of a new Category M1 vehicle or an M1 Plug in Hybrid that qualifies for the grant scheme whilst at the same time de-registering a vehicle in the same category. Every eligible person shall be entitled to only one grant under this scheme.   The Government has allocated €500,000 for this scheme.   The scheme shall be automatically terminated when the total amount of the grants reach the amount of €400,000 for item a, b and €100,000 for item c, d above. Applications will be handled on a first come first served basis.   In 2016, the Government allocated the sum of €1.4 million for such grants. In total there were 1,761 applications to register a new Category M1 vehicle whilst 67 applications to register a new Category M1 Plug in Hybrid which were all accommodated.   Application forms for such schemes can be collected from the Vehicle Licensing Unit within Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Raħal Ġdid or from:  http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transport   Government Notice No: 45 relating to this scheme was published on Tuesday 17th January 2017, Government Gazette No: 19,713, link:- http://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20Gazette/Documents/2017/01/Government%20Gazette%20-%2017th%20January.pdf         Gas Conversion Scheme to Convert Vehicles to Autogas/LPG   Subject to various conditions, the grant amounts to €200 which will be given upon the conversion to Autogas/LPG of a Category M1 vehicle, (a passenger vehicle with a seating capacity of up to eight passengers and the driver) or a Category N1 vehicle, (a vehicle designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes).   The scheme came into effect as from the 1st January 2017 and closes on the 31st December 2017 or earlier if the maximum of 250 claims has been reached. Applications are processed on a first come first serve basis. Persons who have converted their vehicle to Autogas during the past years may still apply for the scheme.   In 2016, there were 249 applications submitted for the conversion to autogas which were all accommodated.   Application forms for such schemes can be collected from the Vehicle Licensing Unit within Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Raħal Ġdid or from our website http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transport   Government Notice No: 44 relating to this scheme was published on Tuesday 17th January 2017, Government Gazette No: 19,713: http://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20Gazette/Documents/2017/01/Government%20Gazette%20-%2017th%20January.pdf         Government re-issues an improved Grant Scheme on the Purchase of Electric Vehicles to promote electromobility for Individuals, Local Councils, Registered NGOs and Private Companies.             This year the Government is targeting to entice commercial companies to make the switch from conventional to electromobility. For this end,theGovernment  is offering a total of €200,000 in grants for any one company wishing to invest in a new electric vehicle fleet in line with the distribution of grants as indicated below.   In 2016, all applications that were submitted for the grant were accommodated to the extent that 46 additional electric vehicles were registered on Maltese Roads.   Subject to various conditions, the grant is divided in three combinations and besides applicable to Private Persons, Registered NGOs and the Business Community it is being extended also to Local Councils, as indicated in the scheme itself.   The scheme (subject to various conditions) is as follows: (i)    For private individuals the grant will amount to: a)      €5,000 when registering a new or used electric Category M1 or N1 vehicle without scrapping an older vehicle; b)      €8,000 when registering a new electric CategoryM1 or N1 vehicleand de-registering another CategoryM1 or N1 vehiclewhich is at least 10 years old from year of manufacture; c)       €2,000 when registering a new or used electric quadricycle.   The scheme as explained above is open for private individuals, Local Councils, Non-Government Organisations, and commercial companies and businesses.   With respect to used electric vehicles, the grant is only applicable for Battery Electric Vehicles of being not more than 24 months old from date of first registration and not more than 12,000 km on the odometer.   Applications will be handled on a first come first served basis. Companies which have already benefited from the last scheme with respect to electric vehicles are eligible to benefit again from this scheme as long as they are in line with state aid regulations. The declarations submitted in this regard will be scrutinised accordingly.   In addition to this initiative, the Government has already launched other initiatives in the form of grants to assist new electric vehicle importers to invest in the technology and re-training of their staff as well as other measures for private companies to install electric car charging infrastructure.   These initiatives are over and above other measures and projects which the Government will launch over the coming few months to promote sustainable mobility, including car sharing and e-bike-sharing initiatives.   Application forms for such schemes can be collected from the Vehicle Licensing Unit within Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Raħal Ġdid or from http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transport   Government Notice No: 43relating to this scheme was published on Tuesday 17th January 2017, Government Gazette No: 19,713: http://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20Gazette/Documents/2017/01/Government%20Gazette%20-%2017th%20January.pdf       END Read more

27/Dec/2016 at 15:10 Press Release 27 December 2016 - Anyone who turns 18 in 2017 can travel by bus for free for a year     Anyone who turns 18 in 2017 can travel by bus, for free, for a year. The scheme that was announced during the last Budget Speech will start being implemented from next Sunday.   Transport Malta will refund Tallinja credit consumed during the previous month, each month for a year.  If, for example, a holder uses €20 in Tallinja credit in February, in the beginning of March, Transport Malta will have €20 credit reinstated on his or her Tallinja Card. The scheme starts on the client’s 18th birthday and ends exactly before his or her 19th.  Any individual can benefit up to a maximum of €312 in credit refunds during the year.  The Authority will refund credit for all types of routes and trips offered by Malta Public Transport; day trips, night trips and special routes.   Tallinja Card holders who turn 18 in 2017 do not need to apply.  Holders will automatically start benefitting on their birthday.  Non-Tallinja Card holders need to apply for the Tallinja card to benefit.   More details are available by visiting news.transport.gov.mt or calling 80072309   Read more

22/Dec/2016 at 07:50 21 December 2016 Technical Unit moving from Floriana to Paola     The Technical Unit of Transport Malta is moving from Floriana to A3 Towers in Paola, as from Monday 26 December.     Inspection of vehicles will be carried out at the reserved spaces near A3 Towers Paola instead of Hornworks Ditch in Floriana.   The Technical Unit will be closed on Friday 23 December, all day. Read more

16/Dec/2016 at 13:37 Press Release 16 December 2016 - Campaign against Drink Driving     Transport Malta and the Malta Road Safety Council launched a new campaign against drink driving.  The new TV and radio advert aim to reinforce the yearly campaign spearheaded by the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate.  Transport Malta and the Malta Road Safety Council mark a new phase of the Respect on the Road campaign which commenced last September.   The new campaign revolves around a fictitious story with various factual overtones. In the television advert, Jason is celebrating the festive season with his colleagues at the office.  Meanwhile, a family of three, stop with their car for an errand.  The mother steps down while the father and daughter wait in the car.    Jason takes a drink too many but decides to drive anyway.  He ends up running over the mother as she is returning to their car.                   We pick up the continuation of the story from the radio advert.  Nicole, the daughter, is writing a letter to Father Christmas.  She’s asking for her mother’s recovery who lives in hospital, instead of a gift for herself.     Most work places hold get togethers during their festive period.  Too many opt to drink and still drive.  This story is a bleak reminder of the possible consequences of drink driving.  Transport Malta and the Malta Road Safety Council reiterate the appeal for drivers not to drink and drive.       Video: https://youtu.be/v5Mb5oNPlrM   Read more

18/Nov/2016 at 14:58 Press Release 18 November 2016 - TM participates in Picasso Project   Transport Malta participates in a project “Preventing incidents and accidents for safer ships in the Oceans”   Transport Malta together with 14 partners from nine other European countries, is participating in the Picasso Project, a project aiming at preventing incidents and accidents for safer ships in the Oceans.  Safety on Land and on Board Ships, Emergency Simulations, and Training and The Human Factorare the three main factors in the project.   The project which is co-funded by the European Commission, is designed to improve maritime safety through training of staff which is a key element in preventing accidents at sea, evacuation drills in ports and development of new technologies. This project is designed to improve maritime safety through training and the development of new technologies and is headed by the Spanish Maritime Rescue and Safety Agency.   The project has a budget of 3.8 million euro and is part of the overall goal of developing Motorways of the Sea, in line with European Union maritime transport policies. It was approved in July 2016 and is scheduled to end in July 2018.   Transport Malta’s role in the project isto organise a mass evacuation exercise in the port of Valletta. This exercise is planned to be held during Malta's EU Presidency and different stakeholders will be involved.   Read more

16/Nov/2016 at 13:29 Press Release 16 November 2016 - TM re-opens Grant Scheme Transport Malta re-opens Grant Scheme on the Purchase of New Environment-Friendly Vehicles   Following the success of the scrappage scheme launched last December 2015, Transport Malta is hereby extending this scheme for the fourth time. Another €300,000 has been allocated. A total of 1,603 vehicles benefitted from the €1,200,000 grant allocated by the Government for this scheme. The successful initiative is planned to encourage people to dispose of their old vehicles and to invest in new cars with lower emissions.   Vehicle owners who apply for the scheme are entitled to a grant of between €700 and €900 upon the purchase of a new M1 (passenger) vehicle with CO2 emissions which do not exceed 130g/km, vehicle length not exceeding 4460mm and licensed for private use only and whilst at the same time de-registering a vehicle in the same category.   Furthermore, the scheme in the form of a number of grantsto incentivise the purchase of Battery Electric Vehicles and Battery Electric Quadricycles has also been re-opened. A total of 35 electric vehicles benefitted from the €200,000 grant allocated by the Government for this scheme. A grant of €7,000 is given to persons registering a new electric vehicle while scrapping an older vehicle which is at least ten years old from the year of manufacture. The grant decreases from €7,000 to €4,000 in cases of registering a used Battery Electric Vehicle in Malta which has never been registered to be used ontheMaltese roads before, or for the purchasingof a new electric vehicle but which is not in conjunction with the scrappage scheme referred above.   These schemes are aimed at reducing the number of old motor vehicles from the road while promoting the use of clean and energy efficient vehicles as a way to contribute towards the  reduction of traffic generated pollution and improvement of  air quality levels.   Application forms for such schemes can be collected from the Vehicle Licensing Unit within Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Raħal Ġdid or from our website http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transport.   Read more