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

[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

[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]

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

[Who2]

So that will defeat the 'air-bag principal of the baby on the front...

[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]

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.

[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

[carrie]

How's plans for the motor cycle club coming along, any news?

[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.

[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/

[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.