33 per cent fall in taxi numbers

MUSCAT: The number of vehicles registered in the Sultanate by the end of March this year stood at 1,387,139 of which 18,797 vehicles were registered since the beginning of this year, according to statistics published by the NationalCentre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The number of new vehicles registered as ‘private’ (which includes imported and temporary plates) in the first three months of this year stood at 13,751, accounting for the majority of vehicle registration despite a 23.4-per cent drop compared with the same period of last year. Commercial vehicles numbered 3,596, a decrease of 38.4 per cent at the end of March this year compared with the same period of last year. Only 99 taxis were registered in the first three months of this year, a fall of 33.1 per cent. Vehicles belonging to political bodies dropped by 21.1 per cent to just 15. Number of tractors dropped by 53 per cent to 7, while rental cars increased by 2.4 per cent registering 1,087 vehicles. — ONA