The streets of Kazakhstan are about to get quieter—or at least, legally compliant. Starting April 4, every moped owner must register their two-wheeled steed with the state and hold a valid driver’s license with category «A1» or «A» and «B». The clock is ticking, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs isn’t playing nice: unregistered mopeds will be hauled off to impound lots faster than a scooter dodging traffic.
Deputy Minister Igor Lepekha, in a hallway chat with reporters, dropped the numbers like a bureaucrat with a spreadsheet fetish: 18,200 mopeds registered so far. But here’s the kicker—no one knows how many of these buzzing metal grasshoppers are actually out there. Last year, 22,000 licenses were issued for the category, and this year? A measly 2,500. "Some might’ve gotten the license without even owning a moped," Lepekha mused, as if pondering the existential void of bureaucracy.
"Register now, or park forever," might as well be the new slogan. Lepekha’s warning was crisp: after April 4, unregistered mopeds are just expensive lawn ornaments. To ease the crunch, service centers (ЦОНы) are stretching their hours like overworked yoga instructors. "We’ve asked them to stay open longer—because come midnight on the 4th, these riders will be as legal as a horse on the highway," he quipped.
