Two million vehicles uninspected — what’s blocking Lebanon’s inspection system?

Report by Ghida Fayad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

More than two million cars, buses, and trucks are operating on Lebanese roads without undergoing any mechanical inspection, as vehicle inspection centers have remained closed since May 2022. 

The shutdown followed the termination of the contract with the operating company, "VALLE," even though the centers are publicly owned. So, what is blocking the reopening of this critical sector?

In September 2023, a new tender framework for operating the vehicle inspection system was finalized. Then-Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced the launch of a new bidding process. 

Key conditions included ending the monopoly by ensuring that no single company could be awarded all centers. The change was intended to allow medium- and small-sized companies to bid for individual centers, with contracts awarded based on the best combination of lowest price and highest service quality.

But just a week later, the Traffic Management Organization backtracked and requested changes to the bidding process. 

Nearly a year later, the authority returned with a revised framework—one that, according to the Public Procurement Authority, violated transparency and competition standards by reintroducing the option of awarding all centers to a single company.

The procurement authority reviewed and corrected parts of the proposal, submitted its feedback, and returned the file to the Traffic Management Organization for implementation. But as of now, the revised tender has not been published, leaving more than 450 employees in limbo with no clarity on their future.

The closure of the inspection centers not only affects road safety and employee livelihoods but also leaves multimillion-dollar buildings, equipment, and machinery vulnerable to neglect, vandalism, or theft—especially in the absence of oversight or accountability.

Beyond the administrative hurdles, many are now asking whether hidden interests are obstructing the file—raising renewed suspicions that Lebanon’s entrenched system of political patronage is at play, benefiting select actors while the public bears the cost.