Once you are at the front of the queue, it may soon take only about 15 minutes to renew your driver’s licence — and there is no need to bring ID photos along.
This is thanks to a smart enrolment unit (SEU) being piloted at the Motherwell Driving Licence Test Centre.
The pilot system will replace the existing live enrolment unit.
Unlike other units, the SEU merges all components of producing a licence — from fingerprints and eye tests to signing, pictures, identity authentication and payment processing.
Speaking at its launch at the centre on Thursday, Road Traffic Management Corporation senior business applications engineer Neelesh Badasie said the new system streamlined the process, cut the overhead costs of licence applications and increased security.
“If an applicant has an appointment for 10am, rest assured they will be served and be out of here within 15 minutes.
“If the applicant is renewing their licence, we take their photograph digitally, the biometrics digitally, the signature, but the biggest selling point is that when we process an applicant we can verify them on the Home Affairs database in real time.
“This means we can see who you are right now, increasing the security in the network.
“If an applicant wants a temporary licence, it will also be printed with a scanned picture.
“We will no longer duplicate transactions because you want to have a temporary document.
“The picture we took and signature will be on it and does not require the applicant to bring the old passport photos.”
One SEU has been operating in Motherwell for the past two months.
In the next three months, Badasie said, the centre would have new machines with units also installed at the Korsten and Kariega testing centres.
The Motherwell centre was the only pilot site in the province and, according to Badasie, the new SEU should be operational across the country by the end of 2024.
The Bay’s safety and security political head, Stag Mitchell, said the SEU was among the innovations being embraced by the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s traffic and licensing department to improve the experience of users.
“Over the last five years, [director of traffic and licensing services] Warren Prins has worked hard to improve efficiency at our traffic departments and this has been proven by the decrease in complaints often splashed in newspapers about people’s experiences,” he said.
“This is a sign we are moving in the right direction.
“These machines will drastically improve efficiency, meaning we can serve more people.
“We will also reduce the huge amounts of cash which have to be stored at centres.”
Xola Mnyaka, 34, renewed his driver’s licence in Motherwell on Thursday and said it took less than 20 minutes.
“Everything is perfect, I hope everyone gets to go through that side because this has just made my day,” he said.
Mnyaka said he booked an appointment on the new system online on Wednesday and came in on Thursday.
HeraldLIVE
Renew your driver’s licence in just 15 minutes
Image: WERNER HILLS
Once you are at the front of the queue, it may soon take only about 15 minutes to renew your driver’s licence — and there is no need to bring ID photos along.
This is thanks to a smart enrolment unit (SEU) being piloted at the Motherwell Driving Licence Test Centre.
The pilot system will replace the existing live enrolment unit.
Unlike other units, the SEU merges all components of producing a licence — from fingerprints and eye tests to signing, pictures, identity authentication and payment processing.
Speaking at its launch at the centre on Thursday, Road Traffic Management Corporation senior business applications engineer Neelesh Badasie said the new system streamlined the process, cut the overhead costs of licence applications and increased security.
“If an applicant has an appointment for 10am, rest assured they will be served and be out of here within 15 minutes.
“If the applicant is renewing their licence, we take their photograph digitally, the biometrics digitally, the signature, but the biggest selling point is that when we process an applicant we can verify them on the Home Affairs database in real time.
“This means we can see who you are right now, increasing the security in the network.
“If an applicant wants a temporary licence, it will also be printed with a scanned picture.
“We will no longer duplicate transactions because you want to have a temporary document.
“The picture we took and signature will be on it and does not require the applicant to bring the old passport photos.”
One SEU has been operating in Motherwell for the past two months.
In the next three months, Badasie said, the centre would have new machines with units also installed at the Korsten and Kariega testing centres.
The Motherwell centre was the only pilot site in the province and, according to Badasie, the new SEU should be operational across the country by the end of 2024.
The Bay’s safety and security political head, Stag Mitchell, said the SEU was among the innovations being embraced by the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s traffic and licensing department to improve the experience of users.
“Over the last five years, [director of traffic and licensing services] Warren Prins has worked hard to improve efficiency at our traffic departments and this has been proven by the decrease in complaints often splashed in newspapers about people’s experiences,” he said.
“This is a sign we are moving in the right direction.
“These machines will drastically improve efficiency, meaning we can serve more people.
“We will also reduce the huge amounts of cash which have to be stored at centres.”
Xola Mnyaka, 34, renewed his driver’s licence in Motherwell on Thursday and said it took less than 20 minutes.
“Everything is perfect, I hope everyone gets to go through that side because this has just made my day,” he said.
Mnyaka said he booked an appointment on the new system online on Wednesday and came in on Thursday.
HeraldLIVE
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