Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Investors and top officials in the transportation industry on Wednesday voiced concern regarding the new fuel-saving stickers requirement.



The Ministry of Commerce and Industry requires that stickers indicating a vehicle's fuel efficiency be placed on all 2015 model light vehicles offered for sale. The stickers must contain information about the extent of fuel efficiency for all models and brands of vehicles, which are classified into six levels of efficiency standards.



The investors raised concern that they had been asked by representatives in one region to print the stickers on A4 paper and place them on the rear left door of all vehicles, while in other regions different measurements were provided including the size of the sticker and its quality. There is also confusion about whether or not the stickers should be posted on cars in their stores and the methods to protect colors from fading after exposure to the sun.



The investors voiced their concerns during an open discussion with officials from the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Mohammad Ibrahim, head of the transportation team at the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency (SCEE), spoke to Saudi Gazette about investors’ concerns with the new system.



"I have just heard about it in this discussion and we will hold a meeting to look into the matter. Investors are keen to follow regulations, and we consider the role of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to be that of a moderator. The goal is not to collect fines, instead, they just want to insure the implementation of the system," he said.



Asked about the type of fines, Ibrahim said if the violation is not aiming at deceiving customers, then it can be categorized as a non-commercial violation which has a fine up to SR5,000. However, if the violation is intentional and aims at misleading customers, then the manager will be imprisoned, the showroom closed and the investor can be fined up to SR100,000. If expatriates are involved, they will be deported.



Ibrahim said the fuel stickers are one of the SCEE’s campaigns aimed at reducing the consumption of energy in the Kingdom. Other campaigns include power reduction in machines, homes, factories and buildings.



The head of the transportation at SCEE recently held a workshop titled “Fuel-saving stickers for light vehicles and their requirements,” organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.



The SCEE and Ministry of Commerce and Industry are touring different regions of the Kingdom to meet with transportation committees and investors to clarify the system and receive their feedback. So far, they have hosted workshops in Riyadh, Abha and Jeddah.