Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has stated that the latest amendment to the Road Vehicle Licensing Regulation does not allow the import of auto rickshaws to the Maldives.
The Road Vehicle Licensing Regulation was first drafted and came into force on July 15, 2012. The regulation has been amended to include road vehicle registration which does not include license categories for some types of motor vehicles used on islands. The Road Vehicle Licensing Regulations describe B3, B4, C3, and C4 categories of vehicles, but the registration regulations do not define these categories, which is causing difficulties in registering buggies and pickups used in islands.
The transport ministry stated that there were conflicts between the license and registration rules and also serious contradictions in the registration system for the registration of three-wheeler buggy vehicles. The ministry also noted that there is no separate category for three-wheeled buggies in the regulation, which makes it difficult to register such vehicles that are currently used in resorts and islands. However, the ministry said the issue will be resolved following the amendment to the regulation.
The transport ministry is currently registering vehicles by looking at the photographs to verify the type of vehicle. The ministry said that three-wheeled vehicles such as auto-rickshaws have not been allowed to operate on any island in the country. There is no possibility of registration of auto-rickshaws in the Maldives and the ministry said it will not allow such vehicles to be registered in the future.