The number of licensed cabs in Malta increased by 432 between the end of the first and second quarters of this year, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).The number of garage-hire passenger cars stood at 5,400 at the end of March, rising to 5,832 by the end of June – an increase of 8%.In the study, garage hire refers to chauffeur-driven cars for hire without predetermined routes. They can typically be hailed in the street, picked up at designated ranks, booked by telephone or ordered through mobile apps or the internet. Taxis are recorded as a separate category.The opposite trend was recorded among garage-hire minibuses, whose number fell from 71 at the end of the first quarter to 68 at the end of the second.The increase comes amid heightened government scrutiny of Malta’s Y-plate sector.On 26th May, Transport Malta was given the legal go-ahead to suspend the licence of WT Global, the country’s largest Y-plate fleet operator, in a move which, once enforced, was expected to stop more than 300 vehicles from operating as cabs.Further rules governing the Y-plate industry subsequently came into force on 30th July, after the period covered by the NSO figures. Those rules have also prompted warnings from the government that operators such as Uber could face suspension for non-compliance.The NSO figures therefore show that the overall licensed cab fleet had grown significantly by the end of June, although they do not indicate when during the quarter those vehicles were licensed or whether the WT Global suspension had yet affected the fleet total.•