Would You Give Up Driving For €25,000? Malta’s Offer Comes With One Big Condition

Imagine being paid to extremity driving. That’s now a existent action successful Malta, wherever young drivers are being offered up to €25,000 if they springiness up their driving licence for 5 years. The strategy is already open, runs until June 2026, and comes pinch 1 strict rule: you won’t beryllium allowed to thrust astatine each – not successful Malta, not overseas – for nan full period.

It’s a bold move aimed astatine cutting traffic, and it’s already raising eyebrows crossed Europe. For some, it sounds for illustration easy money. For others, it feels for illustration excessively large a sacrifice.

Who tin really use for nan €25,000 offer

This isn’t unfastened to everyone. The strategy is intelligibly aimed astatine younger drivers.

To qualify, you request to:

• be nether 30 astatine nan clip you apply
• have lived successful Malta for astatine slightest 7 years
• hold a valid Category B licence for astatine slightest 1 year

There are a fewer much conditions that matter. Your licence must not person been suspended aliases revoked, and everything linked to it – including fees – must beryllium up to date.

The strategy itself is backed by a €5 cardinal fund and will tally connected a first come, first served basis, truthful places are limited.

How nan €25,000 is paid – and why it’s dispersed out

If you’re accepted, you don’t get nan money successful 1 go.

Instead, it’s paid successful 5 instalments of €5,000:

• the first costs comes erstwhile you manus complete your licence
• the remainder travel erstwhile a twelvemonth complete nan adjacent 4 years

This setup is deliberate. It keeps group committed to nan afloat 5 years alternatively than taking nan money and trying to find a measurement astir nan rules.

The portion galore group overlook: you can’t thrust anywhere

The biggest information is besides nan simplest: nary driving astatine each for 5 years.

That doesn’t conscionable mean giving up your car astatine home. It besides includes:

• renting a car connected holiday
• driving successful different country
• or utilizing immoderate conveyance that requires a licence

If you break nan rules, you consequence losing nan benefit. In immoderate cases, you could beryllium asked to salary backmost nan money you’ve already received.

So while €25,000 sounds attractive, it comes pinch a very existent commitment.

What happens aft nan 5 years

Once nan five-year play ends, you tin use to get your licence backmost – but it’s not automatic.

You’ll request to complete 15 hours of driving lessons astatine an authorised driving schoolhouse earlier being allowed backmost connected nan road.

There is immoderate flexibility, though.

In definite situations, group tin petition their licence backmost earlier without penalties. These include:

• health issues affecting you aliases adjacent family members
• work-related needs
• or different situations that authorities see justified

Each lawsuit would request to beryllium reviewed and approved.

Who is excluded from nan scheme

Not everyone tin return part, moreover if they meet nan property and residency criteria.

The strategy excludes:

• people whose occupation depends connected having a driving licence
• diplomats and definite nationalist officials
• individuals pinch entree to chauffeur-driven vehicles, including immoderate governmental figures

The thought is to target drivers who tin realistically take to extremity driving, alternatively than those who trust connected it for their livelihood.

Why Malta is consenting to salary drivers to extremity driving

Malta has agelong struggled pinch postulation and precocious car usage.

Official figures show that much than 100,000 group aged betwixt 18 and 39 clasp a driving licence, which gives an thought of really galore could perchance apply.

By encouraging moreover a information of them to measurement distant from driving, nan authorities hopes to trim congestion and easiness unit connected roads.

Transport Malta has been clear astir nan aim: less licence holders should lead to less cars connected nan road.

Would you really do it?

That’s nan mobility galore group are asking.

For personification surviving successful a metropolis pinch bully nationalist transport, cycling options, aliases short distances, giving up driving mightiness beryllium manageable – particularly pinch €25,000 dispersed complete 5 years.

But for others, particularly those who trust connected a car for regular life, it could consciousness excessively restrictive.

Five years is simply a agelong clip to perpetrate to not driving astatine all. Holidays, emergencies, convenience – each of that changes.

A different measurement of tackling traffic

Most policies aimed astatine reducing postulation thin to attraction connected restrictions – low-emission zones, parking limits, aliases higher costs.

Malta has taken a different attack by offering an inducement instead. Whether it useful aliases not will dangle connected really galore group are consenting to return nan deal. But 1 point is certain: it’s a speech starter.

And if you’re nether 30 and surviving successful Malta, it’s now a prime – support your licence, aliases manus it successful and get paid for it.