S.L. 65.33 Art. 2Interpretation. 

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Act" means the Authority for Transport in Malta Act;

"API" means the application programming interface that works as a bridge between applications, made available by holders of an authorisation to act as an intermediary booking VEHICLE HIRE SERVICES

platform services or the other relevant service providers, and the electronic systems that the Authority may from time to time operate to perform the necessary monitoring and surveillance functions in accordance with the provisions of these regulations;

"Authority" means the Authority for Transport in Malta as established by article 5 of the Authority for Transport in Malta Act;

"authorised commercial premises" means any commercial premises as defined by the Trading Licences Act and which is licensed to carry out any commercial activity in terms of the

Trading Licences Regulations; and for the purpose of these regulations includes also any building, premises or other establishment which is licensed in terms of the Malta Travel and

Tourism Services Act;

"authorised inspecting officer" means a Police officer, a community officer or an officer of the Authority;

"authorised parking disc" means a cardboard device as indicated in the Sixth Schedule containing a revolving disc which displays, through a window in the outer cover, a twelve (12) hour clock with indicators for segments of fifteen (15) minutes each inscribed on the inner disc, and which is collected free of charge from the offices of the Authority upon the collection of the relative licence for the operator or driver or from an authorised service provider indicated by the Authority on its official website;

"beneficial owner" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in regulation 2 of the Prevention of Money

Laundering and Funding of Terrorism Regulations;

"bus stop" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Passenger Transport Services Regulations;

"car sharing vehicle’ means a vehicle which is licensed under a car-sharing operator’s licence to be hired from a car sharing operator for the purpose of being driven by the hirer from one car sharing parking space designated for such purpose by the Authority to another car sharing parking space designated for such purpose by the Authority;

"Commissioner" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in article 2 of the Income Tax Act;

"designated person" means a natural person, designated to the Authority by an operator or an applicant for an operator’s licence, as the person who continuously and effectively manages the passenger transport and, or vehicle rental services; "driver’s permit" means a permit issued by the Authority to drivers in terms of Part IV;

"driver’s tag" means a tag issued by the Authority to a driver in terms of Part IV;

''e-kickscooter sharing services'' means a short term rent by a user of an e-kickscooter provided by an e-kickscooter sharing operator licensed by the Authority; e-kickscooter sharing services may be provided either as a free-floating service or as a docking station sharing service;

''electric kick scooter'' or ''e-kickscooter'' means a stand-up device that has a handlebar, a deck and small hard wheels powered by an electric motor and which also allows for human propulsion;

"European Union" means the "European Union" as defined in article 2 of the European Union Act and shall also include Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein;

"exclusive use" means use of one (1) garage by one (1) operator of any licence and which for any purpose excludes the sharing of such garage between two (2) operators or more, as well as excludes the sharing of such garage with any third-party owner of vehicles of any type and make that are not registrable under these regulations;

"fleet" means any group of vehicles, including one (1) or more light passenger vehicles, which are registered under any operator’s licence issued under these regulations;"

"garaging facility" means any premises which is off-street and in which the parking or garaging therein of motor vehicles is permitted by the relevant planning authority permit;

"garage" means any place wherein the garaging of motor vehicles is permitted by the Planning Authority;

"goods carrying vehicle" means any N1, or N2 or N3 motor vehicle;

"hire" shall include short lease and long-term lease covered by a lease agreement;

"hire or reward" means payment made for the carriage of passengers other than on own account, that is to say against payment or compensation by the person being transported or by the hirer, whether such payment or compensation is made directly or indirectly;"hirer" means a person who is granted the right to drive a hired motor vehicle for the duration for which a VEHICLE HIRE SERVICES

motor vehicle is rented or taken out on lease;

"intermediary booking service platform" means a platform whereby light passenger transport services may be booked by customers from operators of light passenger transport services through an intermediary holding an authorisation for such purpose from the Authority;

"light passenger transport vehicle", for the purpose of these regulations, means such vehicles driven by a person holding a driver’s permit who is employed by an operator for the purpose of the conveyancing of passengers; said vehicles are registered under Section 1 of Part IV of the Light Passenger and Rental Services Register;

"light passenger transport services" means the conveyancing of passengers for payment or reward by means of chauffeur-driven vehicles which are registered under an operator’s licence;

"light passenger transport services operator " means any person, whether natural or legal, who is authorised by the Authority to operate a light passenger transport service;

"limousine" means a luxury passenger vehicle which either has a chassis or wheel-base that has been stretched, or is a sedan which is promoted as a luxury vehicle by its manufacturer, and for the purpose of this regulation shall in any case have an overall length that exceeds 5.15m;

''low-powered cycle'' means a vehicle, having a kerbside weight not exceeding 350 kg, which is either propelled only by pedals in the case of a bicycle or tricycle, or by a combination of pedals and a motor in the case of a power assisted bicycle or tricycle, or by a combustion engine of a piston displacement capacity of 50 cm³ or less, and a maximum of two brake horsepower, or an electric motor with a maximum net power output of 1.49Kw, which is capable of a maximum speed of not more than 45 km per hour in the case of a motorised scooter or cycle;

"LPTV1 operator licence" means an operator licence that is given to operators that register on their licence between one

(1) and four (4) light vehicles.

"LPTV2 operator licence" means an operator licence that is given to operators that register on their licence five (5) or more light vehicles;

"M1 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers and comprising no more than eight (8) seats in addition to the driver’s seat;

"M2 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat, and having a maximum mass not exceeding five tonnes;

"M3 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight (5) seats in addition to the driver’s seat, and having a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes;

"motorcycle" means any two-wheeled vehicle fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50cm³ if of the internal combustion type and, or having a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h;

"motor tricycle" means a vehicle with three symmetrically arranged wheels (category L5e) fitted with an 3 engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50cm if of the internal combustion type and, or a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h;

"motor vehicle" means any mechanically self-propelled vehicle, including a motor cycle, a motor tricycle and a low-powered cycle, intended for use on the road, other than a vehicle running on rails, which, for the purpose of these regulations, is licensed to be be used for the purpose of providing light passenger transport services or to be hired from a vehicle hire operator;

"motor vehicle for hire" means any motor vehicle which is registered and licensed to be hired for the purpose of being driven by such hirer;

"motor vehicle for special occasions" means a motor vehicle of prestige, designed to be used during special occasions such as weddings, funerals, receptions, exhibitions and other diverse events, to transport a restricted number of people to the entrance of churches, halls, hotels, museums and other sites where such events are organised;

"N1 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes;

"N2 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes; VEHICLE HIRE SERVICES

"N3 vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes;

"new motor vehicle" means, for the purposes of these regulations, a motor vehicle which has never been registered in any country;

"operating centre" means the administrative offices from which the operator co-ordinates and controls the passenger transport and, or vehicle rental services it supplies and in which all records relating to such services are kept;

"operator" means any person, whether natural or legal, who is authorised by the Authority to operate either a light passenger transport service or a vehicle hire service, or both;

"passenger" means a person who is carried in a light passenger transport vehicle for hire or reward;

"Planning Authority" means the Planning Authority as established under the Development Planning Act;

"ply for hire" means to drive a light passenger transport vehicle on the road to search for, or be available for, hire;

"priority vehicle lane" means an area of carriageway reserved for vehicles on priority duty;

"public service garage" means a garage that is validly licenced as a garage for the public service in accordance with the provisions of regulation 62 of the Motor Vehicle et sequitur Regulations;

"road" means any road, street, lane, square or other place of public thoroughfare;

"Register" means the Light Passenger and Vehicle Hire Services Register set up in terms of Part VII;

"SOV operator licence" means an operator licence that is given to operators that register on their licence one (1) or more motor vehicles for special occasions;

"public service garage" means a garage that is validly licenced as a garage for the public service in accordance with the provisions of regulation 62 of the Motor Vehicle et sequitur Regulations;

"special purpose vehicles" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in Annex II of Directive 2007/46/EC; "stand for hire" means, in the case of a light passenger transport vehicle, to wait in a stationary position in order to entice and accept requests for hire;

"surveillance camera" means a camera which captures images and projects those images into an electric signal to be further processed;

" "taxi stand" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Taxi Services Regulations;

"tracking device" means, for the purpose of these regulations, any individual device that monitors the geographical position, functioning or operation of a light passenger transport vehicle;

"Tribunal" means the Administrative Review Tribunal established in terms of article 5 of the Administrative Justice Act;

" "undertaking" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in article 2 of the Companies Act;

"vehicle hire operator " means any person, whether natural or legal, who is authorised by the Authority to operate a vehicle hire service;

"vehicle hire service" means the offering of motor vehicles for hire;

"vintage vehicle" means an authentic and genuine vehicle with an age of thirty years or more (to be reckoned from the date of manufacture), as certified by the vintage vehicle classification committee, which is kept in a state which is as close as possible to its original state as produced by the manufacturer and which respects the spirit of classic and vintage vehicle preservation.