By Tupou Vaipulu Jr
Motor vehicle registrations on Tongatapu have increased by 15 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 3307 vehicles registered at the end of 2024, according to figures released to Matangi Tonga by the Ministry of Infrastructure.
However, the number of registrations appear small when compared to the 17,745 vehicles declared by households on Tongatapu during the Tonga Statistics Department household survey back in 2021. (In the same year, only 2,793 vehicles were registered by the Ministry of Infrastructure in Tongatapu.)
Over 20,000 vehicles were declared by households nationwide in the 2021 Statistics survey.
An officer from the Department of Roads and Traffic, Ana Koloa Fifita, told Matangi Tonga that this comparison raises some important considerations.
“One possible explanation for this discrepancy could be the presence of unregistered vehicles, which may include older vehicles that are no longer in use or those that have not been formally registered for various reasons,” she said. “Additionally, some households may under-report the number of vehicles they own, either intentionally or unintentionally.”
The number of registered vehicles on the road have increased by 15.1 per cent over the past year, from 2023-2024, according to a report provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure.
The report ‘Vehicle Registration Summary for Tongatapu’ shows that the numbers of registered vehicles increased by 434 vehicles from December 2023 to December 2024. It stated that there were 2,873 registered vehicles in Tongatapu in 2023, which increased to 3,307 by the end of 2024.
Of the total 3,307 registered vehicles in Tongatapu, about 57 per cent (1,903) of those vehicles are Light Good Vehicles and 28 per cent (939) are Private Motor Vehicles. The remaining 15 per cent are Motor Cycles (921), Taxi/Rentals (248), Passenger Bus/Lorry (3), Tractor (10) and, Heavy Plant (58).
Meanwhile, traffic in the capital Nuku'alofa is becoming increasingly snarled due to the rapid deterioration of the roads. Pot-holes and broken road surfaces force traffic to weave across the centre line in many places. The large pot-holes are taking a heavy toll on the wear and tear of vehicles.
Commercial vehicles
Commercial drivers are among the many vehicle owners who are raising complaints regarding these roads specifically the arterial thoroughfares, Bypass Road, Salote Road, Vuna Road and the Hala Vaha’akolo Road – to name a few.
Mate Ma’a Tonga taxi, one of Tonga’s largest commercial operators, told Matangi Tonga that the broken roads are damaging to their vehicles.
“We have 20 taxis in our base and every month a tire from every vehicle either needs to be replaced or fixed and it’s very expensive” a taxi driver said.
He said that the minimum price for a second-hand tire is about $70 pa’anga which means over $10,000 pa’anga is spent annually on tire replacements alone –minus vehicle maintenance.
Taxi drivers in Tonga usually own their vehicles.
“Some of us own our vehicles and we can’t afford to keep replacing a tire every month because the second-hand tires are expensive.”
Taxi operator, Nia said that this also leads to most drivers avoiding calls from customers in certain areas (where the roads are very rough), which is a blow to the business.
Sangato, a mechanic from the Malupo Brother’s Tire shop in Ma’ufanga said that most of their customers’ problems, including flat tires, misalignment and cracks on the tires, are caused by the rough roads.
He said that they have worked on hundreds of tires and wheels over recent months.
Major intersections that are breaking up include the entrance to the Queen Salote Wharf on Vuna Road and, the roundabouts on Bypass Road and Longolongo.
Record rainfall and exceptional flooding in the capital last October have exacerbated the disintegration of the roads.
Matangi Tonga asked officials at the Ministry of Infrastructure on 6 January 2025, for an interview about the state of the main roads in Nuku’alofa.
The CEO of MOI, Mr, Lopeti Heimuli required our questions to be sent in prior to the interview, which was then set for 7 January. However, on the day of the interview, the CEO sent us to the Director of the Department of Roads and Traffic, Mr Tevita Lavemai, who declined the opportunity to talk about the roads.
