Transport watchdog unleashes fight against unlicensed vehicles, again

People who have unlicensed vehicles will soon be made to either cough up their dues or face a daily fine and have their cars towed.

The measure, announced by the Transport Authority yesterday, comes as the number of unlicensed vehicles rose by some 35 per cent in four years, reaching 31,237 this year.

With effect from October 1, those who would not have paid their licence within three months from expiry will be fined €2 a day and risk having their car towed. The vehicles will only be released when all pending fees are settled.

The authority did not explain how the number of unlicensed cars grew so much over the years, especially as campaigns to clamp down on unlicensed vehicles had already started four years ago.

In fact, in 2005, the authority had joined forces with the Local Councils' Association to fight such abuse but since four years ago they numbered 20,300.

Then, a spokesman for the authority had said that unlicensed vehicles did not necessarily mean they were all on the road.