Petrol Smart Card Programme to Roll Out Mid-June

Amr Badawi, Egypt's Deputy Minister of Finance, has announced that no one will be allowed access to subsidised fuel without using obtaining and presenting a Smart Card at the point of sale. Having rolled out a campaign to ask Egyptian motorists to sign up nearly two years ago, the often postponed scheme is said to go into effect across the country mid-June. The idea is to preempt fuel shortages by curbing 'fuel smuggling' through the monitoring of consumption. The new regulations will apply to all types of vehicles including tuk-tuks, motorcycles and agricultural machinery.