While driving on highways in the east and west of Tehran, drivers will likely see men on the side of the road holding cardboard signs offering mechanic services. The mechanics are easy to spot, but they work illegally rather than in a garage. Whether it's a paint job, a change of rims and tires, or an interior remodeling your car needs, they offer a wide range of auto services for a relatively cheap price.
Reza Ghadimi, CEO of Tehran Professions Regulation Office, has recently announced that these unauthorized mechanics will be taken off the streets by the yearend (March 2016).
The pilot phase of the plan will primarily focus on mechanics doing business on Hengam Street in the southeast and Zanjan Street in southwest Tehran, ISNA reported.
As to why the crackdown has been initiated the official explained that "doing mechanical businesses on the side of the streets hinders the pathways and causes heavy traffic. Also, the noise and visual pollution has been disturbing the residents in the affected areas."
To address the problem, Ghadimi, who is in charge of organizing businesses and industries in Tehran, suggested that large service centers need to be set up across the capital.
Some traditional mechanical workshops have shut down in recent years, primarily due to the rise in rental costs across the bustling metropolis, forcing many of them to work off or across the streets.
Another group of people who are likely to be offering these services are people with a limited knowledge of servicing cars and could damage cars making them more dangerous.
According to official data, Tehran is now home to more than 3 million cars with many vehicles over several years of age still running.
