Starting April 4th, Kazakhstan's streets may grow quieter—or at least, emptier of unregistered mopeds. The government has dropped the bureaucratic hammer: every buzzing two-wheeler must now be officially registered, and their riders armed with a license (category A1, A, or B). No exceptions. The countdown has begun, and the clock ticks louder than a misfiring engine.
As of this morning, a mere 18,200 mopeds have been logged into the system—a number as unreliable as a rusty kickstand, admits Deputy Interior Minister Igor Lepekha. "Some might’ve gotten licenses without owning a moped," he mused, hinting at the chaos of guesswork behind the stats. Meanwhile, service centers (ЦОНы) are stretching their hours like overworked mechanics, racing to process the inevitable flood of procrastinators.
"After April 4th?" Lepekha’s tone was drier than a desert highway. "Unregistered mopeds go straight to the impound lot. No papers, no wheels." The warning hangs in the air like exhaust fumes—a stark contrast to last year’s 22,000 licenses issued versus this year’s paltry 2,500.
