The Cayman Islands government launched a new online service Monday with the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing being the first department to offer customers the chance to skip the queues and renew their licences and registration from their desks.
Member of the Legislative Assembly for George Town Ellio Solomon, who is chairman of the e-Government Advisory Board, announced the launch of the system during a media briefing Monday, saying civil servants had already started using the system.
Responding to a question on concerns that people may lose their jobs as a result of a new streamlined online system being introduced, Richard Simms, deputy director of the DVDL, said the department did “not foresee any immediate redundancies” within the department following the implementation of the service.
Instead, the new online programme would encourage staff to upgrade their computer skills, he said.
In the coming weeks and months, DVDL staff will be holding meetings and briefings to educate the public about the new system.
The system cost $244,000 to implement, Mr. Solomon said, and was supplied by an Indian company called Infosys, which has offices worldwide. He said a local company had also bid for the project, at a cost of more than $600,000.
Immigration may be next
It is likely that the next department to enable its customers to get online service will be the Immigration Department, Mr. Solomon said.
“There is a serious need to try to get some of those [Immigration Department] documents in an electronic fashion ... I think we have somewhere in the region of 175,000 files, for example, that’s actually sitting there between people’s desks and in the store room. So you can see somebody getting crazy with a match or something going wrong could seriously wreak havoc with government,” Mr. Solomon said.
He added that he hoped to soon bring to the Legislative Assembly a “Vision 20/20” report, which would recommend the centralisation of technology across government departments.
How it works
The initial step of registering for a new e-services identification number, known as ESID, needs to be done in person at the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing. Once that is done, drivers can use the new online system to renew their driving licences and register their cars.
Members of the public who need to renew their car registration can take their vehicle to any of 12 private garages or to the DVDL office on Crewe Road to be inspected. Once the inspection is completed, the garage electronically submits details, such as valid insurance information, to the department, so the driver is not required to take the paperwork to the DVDL in person.
With the unique ESID and driver’s licence number, the vehicle owner can then visit www.dvdl.gov.ky or www.eservices.gov.ky to complete the online renewal. They can also pick up their documents from the DVDL or have them delivered by post.
To renew a driver’s licence, people can register with their ESID and driver’s licence number at either of the websites. It’s not entirely online though, as customers are still required to pick up their new licences from the DVDL, where their picture will be taken. However, they will not have to wait in line with others renewing their licences, but will be dealt with separately at a customer service desk if they have already gone through the online process.
The costs of renewing a licence or a car registration remain the same as for in-person registration.
For more information about online vehicle and driver’s licence renewals, phone 945-8344.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Norma Connolly
Quelle/Source: Caymanian Compass, 24.10.2012
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