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Police to take action if vehicles park on roads vacated for bus service

Maldives Police Service (MPS) has warned that action will be taken against those who park on the roads which have been made vacant for minibus routes in Male’ City.

Male’ City Council has begun vacating the parking zones of Majeedhee Magu in Male’ to begin the minibus service and allocating parking zones on routes the bus will travel.

Speaking to PSM News, Superintendent of Police Hussain Sameer said actions will be taken against vehicles violating the parking. Noting that some four-wheeled vehicles are parked in the parking zones made vacant, he advised against parking four-wheeled vehicles in these areas. He expressed that it will be impossible for police to monitor each parking zone, but he warned that fines would be imposed and vehicles would be towed in accordance with existing rules.

Deputy Mayor of Male’ City Ahmed Nareesh said the city council has stated that it has begun work to implement the necessary changes to road traffic, which had been previously delayed because the government had failed to allocate land for new parking spaces. He, however, said that new parking zones have been allocated to replace the existing ones that are being vacated.

Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) is working to begin the minibus service in Male’ under the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) initiative as part of the government’s efforts to reduce traffic congestion and pave the way for easy and convenient public transport. The minibus service was initially scheduled to begin in July but was delayed to implement the changes to road traffic and parking spaces.

The minibusses are designed to traverse the narrow streets of Male’ City and are wheelchair accessible. The service will be free for school students and the elderly. MTCC stated that it is ready to begin the service as soon as the changes to the roads are implemented.