Measures in Malta are being planned to restrict the ride-hailing services -  BOLT, Uber, eCabs etc. - by geofencing their vehicles away from locations and popular landmarks that would be of easy service for their customers.

 

Particularly preventing them:

• 100 to 250 metres away from white taxi stands
• 15 metres from bus stops
• 250 metres away from the Malta International Airport, Valletta cruise port or other ferry landings. 
• AND from waiting and accepting rides outside the Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana. 

 

This will cause issues for tourists and locals alike. 

 

For tourists - if the restrictions aim to affect any or all other hotels and resorts.

For young people and the general public using these app services - it prohibits them from waiting at landmarks easier to access, measuring travel distance and time, from saving money, and from getting picked up by their cabs. 

For parents - they will worry their kids would risk getting lost or have to wait in unsafe areas at night  just to satisfy the geofencing measures and try to ride back home on their chosen service after an outing among friends.

 

MORE INFORMATION FOUND BELOW:

Longer waiting times on the cards as cabs told to stay away from white taxis​

‘It could kill whole cab industry’: Bolt slams geofencing measure

 

 

We the undersigned respectfully disagree on this initiative and the further problems it will cause on ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbours, our community, on the ongoing traffic issues.

We request, as users of these cab services, to remove these restrictions on the flexibility and preferred modes of transportation of our choice. 

We need to have our minds at rest towards our safety and of those around us.

Sidenote to BOLT - do consider Malta as one of the countries to receive the BOLT DRIVE car-rental service at their rate of only Euro0.13c per minute, to counter-balance these restrictions and serve their clients with alternatives and more independence.

 

Furthermore, we also assure that, whether this petition is noted or not, whether our voices are ignored or not, we will not tolerate this form of imperialism and avoid the expensive local white taxis imposed on us.

 

Or in the words of Lord Vetinari from Terry Pratchett's Going Postal:

The people [of Ankh-Morpork]

deserve choice

and currently, the only choice they have

is between you and nothing.