Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-tuks

Advice, information and discussion about Egypt in general.

Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network

Post Reply
User avatar
DJKeefy
Site Administrator
Site Administrator
Posts: 11025
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 652 times
Been thanked: 1222 times
Gender:
Contact:
Egypt

Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-tuks

Post by DJKeefy »

Egypt's interim government decided on Wednesday to impose a one-year imports' ban on motorcycles and the three-wheeled unlicensed taxi known as tuk-tuks, along with their manufacturing components, Al-Ahram's news website has reported.

The government also imposed strict measures on the purchasing or licensing of any new motorcycle and gave owners of both motorcycles and tuk-tuks a two-week deadline to adjust their licenses in accordance with the new decision.

Earlier in January, the country's State Commissioners Authority (SCA) issued a non-binding decision to courts to halt the import of tuk-tuks, claiming that the auto rickshaws' small size allowed them to be used widely in committing crimes and thus posed a serious security threat in several areas nationwide, particularly slums.

In response to the SCA's decision, Raghda El-Azab, head of the public relations department at GB Autos, the sole assembler of tuk-tuks in Egypt, said that her company's management was "a strong believer in the importance of three-wheelers in Egypt, particularly in slum areas where they are the most important mode of transport.”

El-Azab also argued that because tuk-tuks created informal jobs, banning them would put many out of work and cause the crime rate to go up.

Despite tuk-tuks remaining unlicensed, in 2012 the government decided to count tuk-tuks as taxis and tax them accordingly, requiring GB Auto to pay 15 percent sales tax each time it built one of the mini-sized vehicles.

"Legally, state authorities should deal with three-wheeler vehicles as motorbikes, not cars," El-Azab said.

A study by the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC) said there are over 500,000 tuk-tuks in Egypt, with an average of 750,000 workers employed as a result.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/94095.aspx


Image
User avatar
Glyphdoctor
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7525
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:48 pm
Has thanked: 332 times
Been thanked: 1015 times
Gender:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Glyphdoctor »

Another thing traffic authorities have been calling for is limiting the number of people on motorcycles to one. That might solve CE's problem with his wife not wearing her helmet. She will just have to stay home!
Bombay
Royal V.I.P
Royal V.I.P
Posts: 1990
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:57 pm
Location: Luxor
Has thanked: 678 times
Been thanked: 639 times
Contact:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Bombay »

Glyphdoctor wrote:Another thing traffic authorities have been calling for is limiting the number of people on motorcycles to one. That might solve CE's problem with his wife not wearing her helmet. She will just have to stay home!
This will mean the other 5/6th of the population will have to walk :)
User avatar
Who2
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7912
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: Laandaan
Has thanked: 1114 times
Been thanked: 3214 times
Gender:
United Kingdom

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Who2 »

So that will defeat the 'air-bag principal of the baby on the front... :cool:
"The Salvation of Mankind lies in making everything the responsibility of All"
Sophocles.
User avatar
Glyphdoctor
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7525
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:48 pm
Has thanked: 332 times
Been thanked: 1015 times
Gender:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Glyphdoctor »

But you can still do that in your car...I almost got run over yesterday by someone who had a baby between himself and the steering wheel. Mind you, his wife was sitting next to him so there was no reason she couldn't have been holding the baby instead (of course car seat would be best).
newcastle
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 8695
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
Has thanked: 1548 times
Been thanked: 5127 times
Contact:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by newcastle »

Glyphdoctor wrote:But you can still do that in your car...I almost got run over yesterday by someone who had a baby between himself and the steering wheel. Mind you, his wife was sitting next to him so there was no reason she couldn't have been holding the baby instead (of course car seat would be best).

He was probably giving the baby some early driving lessons with a view to the child going solo at the ripe old age of 10......as they do - frequently.
User avatar
Chocolate Eclair
Royal V.I.P
Royal V.I.P
Posts: 1621
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:56 pm
Location: Luxor Egypt
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 300 times
Gender:
Contact:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Chocolate Eclair »

No motorbikes, No parts all add up to more bikes being off the road and less deaths of our young, maybe cars should be next. Another one of our young on the West Bank died today following a motorbike accident, they are too frequent...

Wonder if China will impose a trade embago :lol:
User avatar
carrie
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 4910
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:46 am
Location: luxor
Has thanked: 1860 times
Been thanked: 2885 times
Contact:
United Kingdom

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by carrie »

How's plans for the motor cycle club coming along, any news?
User avatar
Glyphdoctor
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7525
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:48 pm
Has thanked: 332 times
Been thanked: 1015 times
Gender:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by Glyphdoctor »

Considering that motorcycles are now seen as a threat to national security, I am starting to have doubts about whether it is such a good idea after all.
User avatar
DJKeefy
Site Administrator
Site Administrator
Posts: 11025
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 652 times
Been thanked: 1222 times
Gender:
Contact:
Egypt

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by DJKeefy »

Egypt’s GB Auto warns against proposed ban on ‘Tuk-Tuk’ imports.

Reuters- Egypt’s proposed ban on the import of motorbikes and three-wheelers, or ‘tuk-tuks’, would have an “adverse impact” on GB Auto, the country’s largest car assembler, the company said on Thursday.

Two- and three-wheelers contributed around 13% of GB Auto’s revenues in the first nine months of 2013, according to company data. GB Auto is the Egyptian distributor for tuk-tuks and motorbikes from Indian maker Bajaj.

Egypt’s cabinet gave authority to the finance ministry on Wednesday to temporarily ban the import of ‘tuk-tuks’, fully assembled motorbikes and their components.

“The statement issued yesterday, while clearly of concern, is not a final decision, but rather cabinet having authorised the minister of finance to impose a ban if he should determine it is in the national interest,” GB Auto’s chairman Raouf Ghabbour said in a statement.

“Any move to ban the import of motorcycles and three-wheelers would not only have an adverse impact on GB Auto but, more importantly, a sharply negative impact on the Egyptian economy,” he added.

The cabinet said it entrusted the finance ministry with banning the import of fully assembled motorbikes and tuk-tuks for a year and the import of parts for local assembly of the vehicles for three months to “study” the matter.

It was not immediately clear when the decision would be implemented.

The stock exchange said earlier it had suspended trading in GB Auto’s shares on Thursday pending “a statement from the company”, without giving further details.

The shares closed at 39.95 Egyptian pounds ($5.74) on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/02/1 ... k-imports/
Image
LovelyLadyLux
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 3253
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:27 am
Has thanked: 559 times
Been thanked: 1591 times
Canada

Re: Egypt imposes one-year imports ban on motorcycles, tuk-t

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Wouldn't it be more prudent to review the licences of all X# of year old tuktuks to make sure they're not being held together with masking tape and bubble gum? Get the oldest of the old off the streets which should on some levels promote public safety.
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • Egypt imposes stamp tax on cigarettes, price unchanged
    by DJKeefy » » in Know Egypt
    3 Replies
    512 Views
    Last post by LovelyLadyLux
  • Egypt changes bread subsidies to curb imports
    by DJKeefy » » in Know Egypt
    8 Replies
    1052 Views
    Last post by A-Four
  • Egypt gov't plans to legalise tuk-tuks
    by DJKeefy » » in Know Egypt
    9 Replies
    893 Views
    Last post by TonyC
  • Tourism sector fears Egypt custom tariffs on imports
    by DJKeefy » » in Know Egypt
    0 Replies
    465 Views
    Last post by DJKeefy
  • Egypt tourist numbers decline 20.5 pct in June year-on-year
    by Bombay » » in Know Egypt
    4 Replies
    2340 Views
    Last post by LovelyLadyLux