Deadline extended for number plates change

According to the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping, Mr Anil Bachoo, the deadline has already been deferred for all vehicles owners but is mandatory for all new vehicles coming onto the roads.

“We understand that many people are concerned that this will be additional cost and we have taken this aspect into consideration. We already decided that the deadline be deferred to give ample time to drivers to shift to the new specifications,” Mr Bachoo told NEWSNOW.

The new deadline will be revealed in a communiqué which will be issued by the authorities. But this appears to be news to the National Transport Authority, which maintained last week that the deadline is still valid and all vehicles must change their number plates by July 1. It says it has not received a communiqué from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping.

According to a ministry spokesperson, the new regulation is being worked out and will first be published in the Government Gazette, after which the ministry will be able to send a communiqué to announce the deferral of the deadline.

“The new regulation must first published in the government gazette for it to become legal. It is only after the regulation is in the law that the deadline can be officially deferred. However, most importantly is that drivers can rest assured that they will not have to change their number plates by July 1,” he said.

Several manufacturers of number plates have received orders from vehicle owners since last Wednesday. One of the plate makers operating in Rose Hill, which is also a member of the Plate-Makers Association, said that it would have been almost impossible to manufacture around 300,000 number plates for all vehicles on the roads if the deadline was maintained for July 1.

All vehicles, except motorcycles, with old number plates will have to abide by the new regulations of white front plate and yellow rear plate. The NTA sent a communiqué on April 8 informing all suppliers of number plates to sell only plates of British Standard according to the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2010 and that all road users would have a transitional period until July 1.