The origins of the organization now known as the Touring and Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran (TACI) stretch right back to the days before World War II, with the foundation of the Royal Touring and Automobile Club of Iran (RTACI) in 1935 and its formal recognition by authorities in 1939.

Primary Goal

In 1963, the club’s original aim of facilitating the safe passage of Iranians wishing to travel abroad and helping tourists travelling to Iran was boosted by Iran’s accession to the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic, and the national government authorized the club to issue International Driving Permits (IDPs) and International Registration Certificate for Iranian citizens.

The Comprehensive Tourism Information System

The club continues to provide tourism information services for Iranians and foreign tourists and to facilitate this the TACI has formed the Comprehensive Tourism Information System ( Dial 09629) which helps every one throughout the country.

From March 2013 to March 2014, the number of tourists traveling to Iran was 4,801,000, and the number of Iranian tourists traveling abroad was 6,959,000. The figure for Iranians touring their own country during the same period has been estimated at approximately 40 million.

Motor Sports Activity

The TACI also historically looked after motor sport in the country and the club’s Sport Commission of TACI began its activities in 1960 headed by an American of French origin, with its early activities centering on the provision of special courses to train drivers for different automobile events and short-distance rallies. From 1974 onwards Iranian members of the TACI directed the Sport Commission and a broad calendar of events was held every year. From 1979 to 1982, due to the Islamic Revolution and war with Iraq, the activities of the Sport Commission were limited to two or three rallies per year.

The Identification and Preservation of Historical Vehicles (IPHV)

The club maintains a strong focus on historical vehicles, however, and as a part of the country’s national heritage, the TACI began working with government authorities on the preservation of such vehicles. These activities resulted in the adoption of a specific code on 29 June, 2010. The code provided for the establishment of a national ad hoc working group dedicated to the Identification and Preservation of Historical Vehicles. This featured representatives from Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (as Chair), Iran’s Department of Environment, its Ministry of Industry, Mine & Trade, the Islamic Republic of Iran Police, the Ministry of Sport & Youth, and the TACI. The secretariat of the working group is based at the TACI’s headquarter in Tehran. To date two important activities of the working group have been the commissioning of a national Historical Vehicle License Plate and also the establishment of a national Historical Vehicle Registration Certificate.

Roadside Assistance Service

Elsewhere, the club’s Roadside Assistance Service was established in 1968 with the aim of providing relief services (towing and repair) for Iranian and foreign tourists and by 2014, the TACI had a total of 12,000 subscribers to the different types of the club’s roadside assistance membership programmes. In total the club has a membership of approximately 200,000.

The assistance service put in place by the clubs has led to the establishment of branches in most provinces of the 1.6 million square kilometer country and the TACI has developed a progressive and constructive co-operation with the relevant organizations including the Traffic Police, the Road Maintenance & Transportation Organization, the Relief and Rescue Organization of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the Disaster and Emergency Medical Management Center, and other relevant organizations to provide safety on the Iranian roads.

TACI is proud of having the first nationwide roadside assistance services in Iran, which covers the most of the roads and busy road axes of the provinces. It has deployed local rescuers and has created branches in most provinces.

The club uses a large network of provincial rescue call centers and a radio communication system, contracted garages, representative agents, rescuers and inspection teams throughout the country. This enables it to provide a standard roadside assistance services in the shortest possible time to members or non-members 24-hours a day.

The club has plans for expansion, too, and in the future is set to boost its assistance services, launch a mobile app and widen its regional reach.

Developing Safe Driving Culture

The TACI also formed the Committee of Developing Safe Driving Culture to promote road safety issues. This committee is planning some different cultural and artistic events, especially for children, adolescents and youths of different age groups, in co-operation with organizations and institutions active in this field. The committee will expand its activities in order to improve the culture-building on safe driving in the future.

Educational Activity

There is more to come, via collaboration with educational institutions and a concerted effort in the area of driver training. The Miras e Iranian Educational Research Institute which is affiliated to the TACI, is establishing three long-term and short-term academic courses on the fields of Roadside Assistance, Traffic Safety, and Rally Racing Safety using some experts and well known university professors who are engaged in the Iranian road safety issues. The TACI has also announced its willingness to work on the implementation of the pilot project of the FIA Driver Training Certification Programme.