Tuk tuk operators in Mombasa are now calling upon the county government to put a temporary stop on registration of new tuk tuks due to uncontrolled competition.
Operators are now saying business is low due to increased tuks tuks on the roads.
“Tuk tuk is a good business. At least you go home with something. But they have become too many. Competition. If possible, let the county government ban the registration of new ones for a period of even up to five years,” said Ramadhan Shaban, an operator.
Tuk tuk Owners and Drivers (Toda) chairman Obedi Muruli who led in opposing county government's move to ban new registration of tuk tuks last year said they opposed the ban because its approach was not well-visualized, and would lock out new buyers who had already purchased them.
“We are not saying tuk tuks should be taken out of the roads. No. We just want a better system of regulation, even if it means a temporary ban on registration. Too much of anything is poison."
"One would have ended up buying a tuk tuk at Sh400,000 only for it to be denied an operating licence because it would not have been registered. That is why they should engage us the stakeholders,” Muruli said.
They are becoming the most common mode of transport in the coast region.
However, their numbers on the roads have increased rapidly.