BY NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The automation of key services at the Road Traffic Department is one of the major undertakings set to “radically change” the department over the next few years, its controller confirming to Tribune Business that the long-lobbied ‘vehicle titling system’ would be a part of that new system.

“We are going to automate the Road Traffic Department, in the short term. It’s one of our major major undertakings that we will roll-out in the next few years. That’s going to radically change the Road traffic Department,” Road Traffic Controller Ross Smith told Tribune Business in an interview yesterday. He added: “We are very far ahead in that process. At this time I don’t want to give any timeline when we will begin the implementation of that process itself.”

Back in June, Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin decried the “antiquated” state of the RTD and listed it as a “critical area for reform” given its revenue-generating potential. According to the minister, the RTD is the third revenue earner in the country. The government forecast revenue of $39m from motor vehicles for the 2014/2015 budget. Mrs Hanna-Martin said that the government is moving to automate and modernise the department.

Mr Smith said: “Take the drivers license, for instance. From the time you get your learner’s permit to the time you can drive on your own, the whole process will be automated. That means that each step along the way will be accounted and you can’t bypass one aspect of it in order to get to the next level. There will be checks and balances all across the system to prevent any type of fraud. The same goes for vehicle inspection. We want to automate the whole service. The new plates that we issue will not be like the ones we have now. They will be secure plates. Persons won’t just be able to go to someone and say they want them to make a plate for them. There will be certain security features on the plates to let the police and Road Traffic supervisors know if the place is authentic.”

Mr Smith confirmed that a vehicle titling system will be apart of the department’s new automated system. It’s going to be a part of the new automated system. A vehicle title system is very important. You can trace the life of a vehicle and that can help you trace what happens to that vehicle during its life span. There are certain feature of a vehicle which will be a part of the title system.”

Back in June, Bahamian auto dealers expressed hope that proposed Road Traffic Department reforms will ultimately result in a vehicle titling system, one telling this news paper that its creation was “past desperation point”. Auto dealers, together with banks and insurance companies, have long called for the Bahamas to introduce a formal vehicle title system as a means to help curtail vehicle theft, plus better protect their security and that of consumers. It is believed that requiring all vehicle owners to possess the relevant title documents will prevent the sale of autos that are encumbered by existing liens/loans, thus protecting both the unsuspecting buyer and lender’s security. It would also act as a stumbling block to the sale/importation of stolen cars and vehicles that were imported as wrecks, as the seller would have to produce a title document showing an auto’s history and previous condition.

Mr Smith also confirmed that RTD was having issues in providing license plates for private vehicles in repines to earlier Tribune Business reports on the matter. “We have had some issues. but it’s not because of Road Traffic. We depend on another government agency to provide us with plates. We can’t say exactly why they are unable to provide us with the necessary plates from time to time. We know there are some issues but we do our best to ensure that the issue is corrected quickly. We do have measures in place whereby we will address that permanently. We are looking at a way of dealing with it in the short-term and then in the long-term. It’s mainly private vehicles we have an issue with. I think we have done well in trying to address the issue. We are trying to be responsive to the concerns of the public,” said Mr Smith, who declined to identify the department responsible for producing the plates.

“We are going to automate the Road Traffic Department and we have to be ready to do that so all of that is being taken into consideration as we move forward. We are seeking to remedy those issues quickly. We appeal to persons who have a vehicle, they can bring a plate from another vehicle no longer in use and have it transferred to the new vehicle. That will help us a great deal. That’s one of the short term measures. We have something else on the table but that is not finalised as yet,” said Mr Smith.