By Nyein Nyein 

 

OVER 2,500 taxis, which had failed to register or renew their registrations as city taxis, have now signed up with the Yangon Region Transport Authority, said U Hla Aung, the Joint Secretary of the YRTA.

 

The transport authority has set a deadline of 30 September for taxis which are yet to register or renew their registrations. The YRTA has announced it will take action against those who fail to comply.

 

“Out of 67,438 taxis, some have failed to renew their registration and deregister as old vehicles. Some have been sold to other regions. But, the owners have not informed us. Currently, we are making a list to deregister those vehicles. The taxis need to register by 30 September,” he added.

 

“After the announcement, a total of 2,541 taxis applied to us. From 12 July to 2 September, 1,799 taxis sought registration, while 742 applied for a renewal,” said U Hla Aung.

 

“When the registration process was started, over 100-200 taxis were applying for regisOver 2,500 taxis register with YRTA tration per day. Now, over 60-80 are applying for registrations,” he added.

 

City taxi registrations began in 2002 to bring transport services on par with Yangon’s image as a commercial hub, and for regulating taxi services.

 

With the renewal of city taxi registrations, a total of 2,900 criminal cases were processed between 2014 and 20 August, 2019.

 

The YRTA was formed on 8 July, 2016 to improve transport facilities in Yangon for the convenience of the public. The authority is carrying out city taxi registrations.

 

To ensure traffic discipline, the YRTA, through an announcement in state-owned newspapers, had asked city taxis to register with the authority by 31 December, 2017. The YRTA had also announced that it would revoke the licenses of those who failed to register or renew their registrations. 


However, for some reason, the registration period was extended to 31 January, 2018. Some taxis tried to register on the last day, but the process could not be completed, and they were allowed to complete the formalities by 6 April, 2018.

 

Still, more than 5,000 taxis remained to be registered or needed to get their registration renewed. So, the transport authority notified the extended deadline of 30 September.


There were 67,438 registered city taxis in Yangon Region as of August, according to the YRTA. 

 

(Translated by Hay Mar)