Demilew Ayenew, now 22, was born and raised in Were Illu Wereda, Southern Wello Zone, Amhara Regional State. A third child for his family, Demilew dropped out of school at an early stage.

His older brother was forced to quit high school due to a lack of money, and Demilew says that he feared it would be his fate if he continued his education.

With the hope of helping out his family and saving his young siblings from facing the same reality, Demilew moved to Addis Abeba looking for a job at age 16.

Demilew says he tried almost all low-paying jobs - from security guard to street vendor - but all could only provide him with a subsistence way of living.

However, one particular type of job that was common in the area he lived in, Qera, interested him the most. He saw a lot of people making a good living providing transport and delivery services using motorcycles.

After enrolling in an equb, a traditional saving scheme, he bought his first motorcycle for 30,000 Br four years ago. He started a business with a motorcycle by renting it to people that wanted to train on it.

The business was good enough that Demilew was able to upgrade his motorcycle two years ago and paid 75,000 Br for a new cycle.

He provided ride services for people who needed it and delivered goods for various shops. Demilew was making between 200 and 300 Br a day, which enabled him to send some money back home and help his younger siblings in the pursuit of their education.

Last year, he got married and was expecting to support his new family from his motorcycle business.

However, a June 19, 2019, announcement made by Deputy Mayor Takele Uma brought with it devastating news for him and other motorcycle owners in the capital.

Takele announced that using motorcycles was to be banned from the capital's streets starting July 7, 2019. The Deputy Mayor claimed that the ban was necessitated to curb rising crime and lawlessness committed by motorcycle drivers.

The ban will be in effect until a system is devised to control the cycles, according to the announcement.

The City Administration has recorded the use of motorcycles in acts of robbery and similar criminal activities, according to the Deputy Mayor, who briefed members of the media two weeks ago.

“In response to this surge," said Takele, "the city’s Police Commission in collaboration with the Federal Police Commission and the country’s intelligence institutions conducted a survey for a week and a half before making the decision."

Addis has around 45,000 motorcycles, of which only half of them have secured a license plate from the city's Transport Authority.

However, the ban spared few groups. It does not affect police officers, members of the military or other emergency service providers. Delivery services using motorcycles under bonafide organisations like the Post Office and embassies can operate but will be required to obtain permits to operate.

“The news of the ban was devastating,” said Demilew. “We were being blamed for the failure of the city’s legal protection system.”

The ban was not only bad news for motorcycle owners and drivers but also for clients who hire them.

Ashenafi Begashaw, the owner of Ashenafi Garage, located in Hana Mariam in Nifas Silk District, is one of the regular customers of motorcycle delivery services. They bring him spare parts and submit documents to different insurance companies.

He has a list of six drivers and spends up to 600 Br a day for their services.

"Motorcycle delivery services have greatly increased our efficiency and save time," Ashenafi told Fortune. "They are fast, reliable and cheap."

For motorcycle retail shops, the ban was just as devastating. Motorcycle parts are imported from India and assembled here.

"The ban closes the already small window we had in the capital," said Seble Eshetu, a sales representative at Balaaji Manufacturing Plc located in Lancha, which assembles BMP motors from its plant in Modjo.

Five months ago the city stopped issuing 'Code 2' license plates for motorcycles, because the Administration could not track for what purpose they were being used.

The City’s Transport Authority argues that this did not stop motorcycles from acquiring 'Code 2' licenses plate from other regional states and coming to the city to operate.

Of 23,850 registered bikes in the city, 10,688 have 'Code 2' license plates, while 3,950 have number 'Code 3' plates.

According to the City Administration, though the crime analysis of the cycles was new, Addis has long been alarmed by the increasing number of motorcycles and their corresponding traffic violations.

Motorcycles in the capital are growing at a rate of 14pc annually, twice as much as the growth rate of vehicles in Addis Abeba, claim officials of the City Administration.

"The fact that they are relatively cheap and are not adequately regulated has resulted in the fast growth rate," said Solomon Kidane (PhD), economic cluster coordinator at the rank of deputy mayor.

He notes that the lack of proper regulation corresponds with the cycles causing more damage.

In the last fiscal year, traffic accidents involving motorcycles stood at 927, a 168pc increase from the previous fiscal year. In the same period traffic accidents involving automobiles grew by 35.6pc to 6,384.

Motorcycles are the most difficult vehicles to regulate, according to Thomas Eshetu(Sgt. Maj.), escort detail and regulation shift officer at Addis Abeba Traffic Police.

"Most motorcycle drivers do not obey driving regulations or stop when requested by traffic police," Thomas said.

Motorcycle drivers admit that they do not stop for traffic police but argue that it is the system that pushes them away.