This is the strange moment where a local Egyptian authority ‘hang’ a Tuk Tuk outside a government building using a makeshift noose as a warning to anyone in the city thinking of breaking the laws that forbid the use of the popular three-wheeled vehicles.
The Tuk Tuk seen swinging in the air was confiscated by authorities in the Egyptian city of Al-Shorouk where the use of the vehicles is illegal yesterday (9th June).
Local officials told the new site Egypt Today that: “this a deterrent punishment for those who violate the laws that prohibit the use of the three-wheeled vehicle in the city.”
Abdel Latif Bishara, Head of Al-Shorouk City Authority, added that the hanging of the vehicle: “sends a strong message to anyone who attempts to drive tuk-tuks inside the city”. The local government has been cracking down on Tuk Tuks since 2019 when it stopped issuing licenses for new vehicles.
The Tuk Tuk (otherwise known as a rickshaw) is believed to have been invented in Japan in the early 20th century and has since become an extremely popular method of transport across much of Asia. Egypt Today reports that officials wanted to replace the rickshaws with mini-vans which are safer and run on natural gas.
The government even launched a purchasing scheme whereby they buy rickshaws from locals and put the money towards a new government-approved mini-vav. However, the drivers are expected to cover the price difference between the two vehicles using a ‘soft loan from the government’.
According to Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CPAMS) the number of licensed rickshaws in Egypt between 2014-2016 stood at 99,000 whilst the number of unlicensed vehicles was estimated to be around 3 million.
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