![An Egyptian driver arrives in his rickshaw, also known as "tuk-tuk", to a taxi stop to wait for passengers in the capital Cairo, on 16 September 2019 [MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/tuk-tuks.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The Egyptian government has decided to ban the import of tuk-tuks following a government initiative to replace them with safer means of transportation, Egyptian media reported on Friday.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Niveen Al-Qubbaj shared that tuk-tuks will be replaced with natural gas-powered minivans nationwide.
In 2019, the Egyptian government ordered Egyptian factories producing parts for tuk-tuks to stop producing them.
Government Spokesperson Nader Saad explained that the tuk-tuks would be collected by the government and crushed in order not to be reused.
He also said that tuk-tuk owners would be given minivans and pay the price difference with soft loans.
There are around 2.5 million tuk-tuks used as transportation across Egypt, and according to Egyptian reports, only 10 per cent hold licenses.
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