The Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) suspended issuing hard-copy of driver’s licences in Thimphu and Phuntsholing for the last three months. This according to the authority is due to budget constraints. However, the office says printing resumed recently after the government provided an additional budget of Nu 7.5 M. However, there were no issues in other districts.
Due to an overwhelming number of applicants, the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority stopped issuing hard copies of driving licences in the two districts in December last year.
Because of a limited budget, the office prioritised issuing hard copies to those leaving abroad. And for those within the country, the office recommended using the mRSTA application.
However, driving schools in Thimphu have been receiving requests for hard copies of licences from their clients.
“Our institute has not received the hard copy of the driver’s licence for more than three months. Our students call us several times a day asking about it. RSTA has asked us to inform our students to make use of the mRSTA app and we have been informing them. We have informed the RSTA and they said that they will soon resolve the issue,” said Dawa Tshering, the CEO of a driving institute in Thimphu.
“It has been more than a month since I did the test and I still have not received the hard copy. They have advised us to use the mRSTA app. It is convenient to use. However, it seems like there is no coordination between the RSTA and the traffic police. When we show them our license using the app, the police personnel still prefer the hard copy,” said Ugyen Lhendup, a resident of Thimphu
According to the officiating director of the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority, with the mRSTA app, carrying a physical licence is no longer necessary and one can avoid being charged by the police.
Meanwhile, there are still a large number of licences that have not been collected from the BCTA office since 2018 despite the office notifying the licence holders.
The office has printed 25,655 driving licences from July last year till March this year.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Sonam Pem
