Taxi registration policies amended to require garage letter

Taxi guidelines has been amended once again to require a garage letter for obtaining taxi registrations.

The former government, after annulling the previous policy which mandated provision of a garage letter had amended the guidelines in September last year, allowing taxis to be registered after a registration fee of MVR 10,000.

However, the current administration had parked the implementation of this amendment.

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, with guidance from the Attorney General, has now rescinded the recent amendment and reinstated the previous policy. The decision came after determining that issuing vehicle registrations solely with a fee, without a garage, is not legally permissible.

With this change, obtaining taxi registrations will now require a garage.

An official from the Transport Ministry said that the policy was reverted following advice from the Attorney General's Office. The office found that the recent amendment could not proceed due to legal obstructions and other barriers.

The Ministry also stated earlier in January that, given the heavy vehicle congestion in Male' City, allowing taxi registrations without garage documentation is not a feasible solution.