By Sainabou Sambou
Riders of tricycles [locally known as tuktuk] have expressed dissatisfaction over the banning of tricycles effective 1st January 2023.
Ba Musa Drammeh, President of tricycle riders told The Fatu Network that he is very disappointed in the government for giving them only six months to ply on the roads.
“We have spent over four million dalasis on our tricycles. The police officers initially told us that they want to help us by banning foreigners from plying. By December this year, we will stop plying on the roads. It means we only have six months left,” he explained.
Drammeh said tricycles have been in use in the Gambia for five years, adding that they pay tax to the Gambia Revenue Authority.
“We hope that our parliamentarians make a law allowing tricycle to be used in the Gambia,” he said.
Amadou Joof, a tricycle rider also expressed dissatisfaction over the government banning them from plying by 31st December 2022.
“The government has to help the youths because not everyone would work in the office. When the government bans us from plying by December, we wouldn’t have any other job to do. Some of the tricycle riders are migrant returnees; so if the government executes the ban, it will affect them a lot” he said.
Ismailia Chinti, a rider, emphasized that police officers told them that they would be banning only foreigners from riding tricycles in the Gambia and that, they would seize their tricycles if they break the law.
“I bought my tricycle for two hundred thousand dalasi and has plied for only three months. The six months given to us is not enough as we wouldn’t be able to have enough money to buy a tax.”
Momodou Jallow, another rider, said since their tricycles were seized, the police have not given them any reason for the seizure.
“We are very worried and don’t know what to do. I urge the government to help us with jobs if they ban us from plying by December.”
The new rule states that no tricycle will be allowed to ply the Westfield–Tabokoto, Westfield–Tippa Garage, to Sukuta Jabang Traffic Lights Road from 7am to 7pm daily.
It could be recalled that on 21st May 2022, the Mobile Traffic Department of Gambia Police Force embarked on a nationwide operation, preventing the use of tricycles as commercial means of transportation.
