Malta, the smallest country in Europe, is facing one of its most serious traffic problems, and authorities have decided to take drastic measures to limit car usage. Through an innovative program titled the "Driving License Surrender Scheme," the Maltese government is offering young drivers 25,000 euros to voluntarily surrender their licenses and refrain from driving vehicles for a five-year period.
According to Transport Minister Chris Bonett, the goal is to trigger a "mobility shock," particularly among young people, before car usage becomes a deeply ingrained habit that is difficult to change. Beneficiaries of the program receive the aid in annual installments of 5,000 euros, with the obligation to proportionally repay the amounts if they change their minds before the end of the five-year period.
To qualify, applicants must be under 30 years old, have been a resident of Malta for at least seven years, and have held a driving license for at least 12 months without ever having it revoked for traffic violations. Malta has allocated an annual budget of 5 million euros for the scheme, limiting the number of beneficiaries to 1,000 people per year. Early figures show exceptionally high interest, suggesting that for many young drivers, the financial incentive outweighs the need to own a vehicle.
It is worth noting that once the license is surrendered, it is considered permanently suspended, and the interested party will need to complete 15 hours of driving lessons again to obtain a new license after five years.
The declared goals of the program are to reduce the number of active drivers on the roads and encourage the use of public transport. In this way, authorities hope to combat the persistent traffic chaos on the island and lower air pollution levels, promoting a more sustainable transportation model for the future.