Electric motorbike license plate registration: Still many problems

(Baonghean) - Circular No. 15/2014/TT-BCA of the Ministry of Public Security has specified the 2008 Road Traffic Law on electric motorbikes. Accordingly, from June 1, 2014, electric motorbikes must register their license plates when traveling on the road, and any violations by electric motorbike users will be punished as for motorbikes. However, after one month of implementation, most electric motorbikes on the roads are still seen participating in traffic without registration plates.

Electric motorbikes circulating in Vinh City. Photo: Tran Hai

Business people and users are confused…

Electric motorbikes are currently a popular means of transport, especially for students, university students, and the elderly because of the benefits they bring such as: No need for a driver's license, no need for gas, compact and still able to run at the same speed as a motorbike... Therefore, electric motorbikes are the choice of many parents for their children, electric motorbikes have appeared quite a lot on the roads. And the characteristics of electric motorbikes are small wheels, weak lights, braking system not compatible with speed (brakes like bicycles), no turn signals; the speed of the vehicle can reach 50km/h but does not make engine noise like a motorbike, which can be dangerous for people traveling around. Also from the above shortcomings, the Ministry of Public Security has put electric motorbikes under mandatory management through the requirement of registering license plates when circulating on the road. According to Circular 15, electric motorbikes must register their license plates, otherwise they will be fined from 300,000 to 400,000 VND when circulating.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hong (in block 4 - Truong Thi ward) said: "2 years ago, I bought my daughter an electric motorbike made in Taiwan when she passed the entrance exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. When I bought it, the seller only gave me a 1-year warranty card and no other documents. After 1 year, the warranty card was thrown away, so we don't have any valid documents according to regulations. I don't know what to do now because my daughter still has to use this electric motorbike for another year in grade 12."

Not only do electric motorbike users complain about the difficulty of registering their vehicles, but the shops selling these types of vehicles also do not know how to respond to customers. According to the owner of a shop specializing in selling electric motorbikes and electric bicycles on Tran Phu Street (Vinh City), most of the shops do not have import certificates, no quality inspection papers, only sales invoices. The owner of this shop shared: "Since the day electric motorbikes are required to be registered, many customers have come to buy motorbikes to ask about import papers and quality inspection. Honestly, when we import goods, we usually import in batches, not individually, so where do we get the papers..." At another shop on Quang Trung Street, many electric bicycles are on sale. When we asked to buy an electric motorbike, the sales staff hesitantly pointed to two VT9 and X-Men 9 electric motorbikes and said: “Only displaying these two. Customers who come to ask about electric motorbikes, after a while of research, often switch to buying electric bicycles. Since the regulation that electric motorbikes must also be registered, we have returned all the goods to the company in Hanoi because we did not have enough documents. When importing, the company only issued a red invoice once. And before, people considered electric motorbikes as rudimentary vehicles, so why care about documents?”

Shops selling electric bicycles and electric motorbikes in Vinh City. Photo: Tran Hai

Having trouble with the lack of necessary paperwork

The regulation that electric motorbikes must be registered and issued with license plates was included in the Road Traffic Law of 2008 and took effect from July 1, 2009. However, this regulation has not been implemented, so Circular 15/2014 of the Ministry of Public Security was issued to reiterate the regulation requiring registration, control and stricter management of electric motorbikes. Currently, there are thousands of electric motorbikes in Vinh City. However, after 1 month of implementing the regulations of the Circular of the Ministry of Public Security, the Traffic Police Department has not had any cases that met the conditions for registration of license plates. Some people who own electric motorbikes are aware of the registration but are confused because of insufficient documents and procedures. Mr. Nguyen Hong Giang (retired officer of the provincial post office) said: “After knowing the law that from June 1, electric motorbikes must be registered like motorbikes, I also brought the papers to register at the Traffic Police Department but then had to return because the papers were incomplete, there was no import certificate and vehicle quality inspection certificate. Because of the need to travel, even though I have not registered yet, I still have to use the motorbike. The police called me in the other day to remind me. Because of the new law, I have not been punished according to the regulations, but after a while I still cannot register, what should I do? I thought that buying an electric motorbike would save other costs, knowing this would be troublesome, I bought a motorbike for more convenience.”

According to Lieutenant Colonel Cao Minh Phuong, Head of the Traffic Police Department - Provincial Police: Implementing the content of Circular 15, the Traffic Police Department has fully prepared the conditions for registering license plates for people. In the immediate future, it is recommended that people contact the store where they bought the vehicle to supplement their documents and arrange forces to wait for people to come to complete the procedures". After a period of propaganda and reminders, when the conditions are met, the City Police will proceed to fine electric motorbikes circulating without registration.

Faced with current difficulties in registering electric motorbikes, it is thought that the authorities should soon have specific instructions so that the goal of managing electric motorbikes according to Circular 15 is effective. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda to electric motorbike businesses and users to raise awareness for people when buying electric motorbikes after June 1, 2014, they must obtain all invoices and documents to complete the vehicle registration procedure. In the case of newly purchased electric motorbikes, after 30 days, they must register the license plate according to regulations. At the same time, the organization should review and tighten the management of trading and business of this type of vehicle.

Ngoc Anh