Taxis in Yaounde that are not registered or do not carry the required identifier are being impounded, the Communaute urbaine de Yaounde said, after the identification deadline passed on 6 October. Vehicles were taken to municipal pounds from 7 October.
The registration drive, run by the Communaute urbaine de Yaounde, requires owners to present a national identity card, a registration certificate, a transport licence, a public transport card, a technical inspection certificate, insurance and the general synthetic tax. Drivers must show an identity card, a category B licence, a residence card for foreign nationals and a professional identification badge.
More than 20,000 taxis were registered against a target of 25,000, the Communaute urbaine said. It estimated the city's fleet at more than 30,000 vehicles. Owners of impounded taxis face fines and storage fees, and vehicles not collected within three months may be sold at auction, the Communaute urbaine said.
Ives Djomo, secretary general of the Syndicat national des travailleurs du Cameroun, said drivers were not given enough explanation of the quarterly general synthetic tax, which he said requires payment for a quarter that has already passed.
Taxis have been scarce in several districts since 6 October, and passengers have waited longer at pickup points during morning and evening peaks.