The Oman Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) has issued a clarification on Sunday, regarding a recent inspection campaign in the country.
The campaign, which was aimed at finding illegal taxis run by expatriates, had raised concerns among many expats in the country across social media platforms as they said they were fined while travelling with friends and family.
Oman clarifies rules under new campaign
Due to this, the ministry clarified that individuals who transport their acquaintances and friends without any financial reward will not be fined.
According to a report by the Times of Oman, “there were growing fears among expatriate community that friends and families would face a prospect of a heavy fine while dropping or picking a family member of a friend as expatriates driving a car with passengers who are not under the same sponsor were being penalised by the ministry, and also slapped a fine of OMR 200 (AED1,908) for the violation.
The rule said that any worker who was carrying goods in his vehicle and that was not for his personal use and for commercial gains will be imposed a fine of OMR 300 (AED2,862).
“The Ministry would like to clarify that the inspection campaigns on land transport, which the ministry has recently begun to implement, aims to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Land Transport Law,” a statement from MTCIT said.
The ministry also added that the inspection teams came across several violations, including violations of the requirements for carrying out transport activities with regard to the transportation of goods and ferrying individuals.
The statement clarified that the inspection teams have been instructed to ensure that only drivers who violate the provisions of the executive regulations of the Land Transport Law should be fined and that it did not include people who transport their acquaintances and friends without any financial reward.
“If people have been penalised while ferrying their friends or relatives, their grievances can be submitted about the violations for review at the Land Transport Department at the Ministry’s General Office or the Roads Departments in the governorates within 15 days from the date of its issuance,” the statement added.
The ministry confirmed that the inspection campaigns will continue and urged workers in the sector to adhere to the requirements of the Land Transport Law and its regulations.
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