Approximately 100 motorbike taxis were impounded in Yaoundé on Wednesday, April 10, as part of an ongoing crackdown on urban disorder led by Mfoundi senior divisional officer Emmanuel Mariel Djikdent, according to reports by public television CRTV.

Despite a ban on the use of motorbikes for hire or reward, particularly in Yaoundé’s urban center, many drivers continue to flout the rules. Motorbike taxis are still a common sight in the city center, even though they are only permitted to operate on the city’s outskirts to service remote areas.

Djikdent expressed his commitment to addressing the issue, despite the challenges local authorities have faced in regulating the sector to date. The operation is not a one-off. “It will last over time,” Djikdent told CRTV.

He clarified that motorbike taxi activity is not completely prohibited in Yaoundé, but is restricted in certain areas, particularly in the urban centre. This is per a joint decree signed in 2012 between the senior divisional officer of Mfoundi and the government delegate to the Yaoundé Urban Community (CUY). The decree outlines the zones where motorbike taxis can operate and the terms and conditions of their use in the Yaoundé urban area.

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