Vehicle inspections shift to private centres

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Mohammed Darwish

Vehicle inspection in Bahrain will be progressively handed over to private centers from 1 August 2024. This was announced yesterday by Brigadier Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdul Wahhab Al Khalifa, Director General of the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT).

The transition, set to be fully implemented by July 2025, will see private centres progressively take on the responsibility for inspecting all vehicle categories, including light vehicles, motorcycles, heavy vehicles, and public transportation.

The transition will be rolled out in three stages: Phase 1 (1 August 2024): Private centres will start inspections of light vehicles and motorcycles not exceeding 10 years old, allowing the GDT to concentrate on more specialised inspections.

Phase 2 (Early 2025): The range of private centre services will expand to include all light vehicles and motorcycles, regardless of age, further simplifying the process for vehicle owners.

Phase 3 (1 July 2025): In the final stage, private centres will take over inspections for all vehicle categories, including heavy vehicles and public transportation, completing the transfer of this responsibility to the private sector.