Vehicle owners urged to get electronic labels

CAIRO - 7 November 2019: The Interior Ministry urged on Thursday owners of all different types of vehicles to head to the traffic administration bureaus as soon as possible to get their new electronic car stickers.

Owners of vehicles in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Al Wadi Al Gedid, Port Said, Suez, Ismailia, South Sinai, North Sinai, Marsa Matrouh, the Red Sea, Aswan and Assiut governorates are all required to get the new stickers as a first stage.

Owners of motorcycles with number plates consisting only of numbers are excluded from the new sticker system.

The stickers, which are fixed to windshields, include a SIM card that holds the vehicle's data, allowing authorities to track violations, license expiration and traffic congestion.

The data can be read by special infrared devices at traffic lights and by traffic officers on the streets.

The sticker system was launched by the General Directorate of Traffic in June with the aim of making it easier to register all vehicles in a single database. The stickers will cost up to EGP 50 and will have to be replaced if lost.

The stickers will also allow car owners to pay road fares, parking fees or fines electronically after receiving messages on their mobile phones.

The move is part of a broader drive to tighten traffic regulations and adjust traffic services in Egypt.