Kandahar bike owners demand lower motorcycle registration fee

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Some residents of southern Kandahar welcomed the launch of the motorcycle registration process, while a number of others say the fees are too high and demand a reduction.

The provincial Traffic Department began registering motorcycles and issuing number plates more than two weeks ago, alongside a ban on the movement of unregistered motorcycles within the city.

Nazar Mohammad, a local resident, described the move as a positive step that could help prevent theft and other criminal incidents, while encouraging drivers to follow traffic rules.

However, he added that the registration fee posed a serious financial burden for many people.

“Obtaining a number plate and registration costs around 6,500 afghanis for each motorcycle,” he said.

Another resident, Abdul Qahar, said he was unemployed and could not afford the fee. He also said that traffic police had already seized his motorbike.

“I have been jobless for the past eight months. Now that my motorcycle has been stopped by the traffic police, I don’t know how I can find the money for registration. I already have debts I can’t repay,” he said.

Similarly, Saadullah, who earns about 5,000 afghanis per month working as a security guard, said he was unsure whether to spend his limited income on household needs or on registering his old motorbike.

“I earn five thousand afghanis a month, which barely covers my family’s expenses. I don’t know how I can afford the 6,500 afghanis needed to register my motorbike,” he said, urging authorities to lower the registration fee.

Meanwhile, traffic officials described the registration campaign as highly effective in maintaining order and reducing criminal and traffic incidents.

A traffic official told Pajhwok Afghan News: “This process is very useful for the public. It helps prevent criminal and traffic offences and encourages people to follow the rules. Previously, accidents happened every day, but since we started controlling motorcycles, such incidents have decreased—a very positive development.”

Regarding the fees, the official added: “When people buy motorcycles for forty or fifty thousand afghanis, paying around 5,000 afghanis for registration should not be considered excessive.”

He emphasized that maintaining order is a government responsibility and that citizens must register their vehicles under their own names instead of driving unregistered ones.

He also urged people to cooperate with traffic authorities, saying that police should not have to stop motorbikes on the roads. Instead, owners should voluntarily bring their vehicles to the traffic department for documentation and registration.

The official highlighted additional economic and social benefits of registration, noting that documented vehicles can be easily identified if stolen, legal procedures are faster, and violations of the law in society are reduced.

So far, about 200 motorcycles have been registered, while more than 500 unregistered motorbikes from various parts of the city have been brought to the traffic department for documentation.

kk/sa