“Motorcycle,” a term hardly anyone in Nepal is unfamiliar with these days. Motorcycles were deemed to be a luxury item just a couple of decades ago in the Nepali society. However, due to an increase in income level of people, mass production and globalization, motorcycles got cheaper for the average Nepali and have now been regarded as a basic necessity and a matter of convenience to most people.
Nepal lacks adequate transportation facilities due to its geographical diversity and has many areas that are accessible only by two-wheelers; thus making motorcycles an essential commodity for commuting, transportation and as a means of connecting rural areas to urban centres. Apart from this, motorcycles are used as a faster medium to commute to work, chores like dropping children to school, daily shopping, for general transport and for business purposes like marketing and sales. Hence, motorcycles are deeply woven into the everyday lifestyle of an average Nepali citizen. It remains as the most reliable means of transportation that has made traveling convenient by providing people the freedom to reach anywhere they like at an affordable cost. However, one cannot relish this freedom unless they acquire a valid driving license to drive inside Nepal.
In Nepal, Transport Management Act, 1992, Vehicle and Transport Management Rules, 1996, and Motor Vehicle Act, 1992 forms the legislative framework for the entire procedure of obtaining and maintaining a driving license. Under the directive of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Department of Transport Management issues driving licenses across the 14 zones of Nepal. However, after federalization, the provincial governments have been authorized to receive the applications, conduct examinations, and distribute driving licenses under the current federal model. Although the provincial government conducts the examination and distribution of new licenses, the printing and ‘online system‘ are handled by the Department of Transport Management.
The Issue
Obtaining a motorcycle license has become a significant problem in Nepal mainly because of a critical shortage of human resources, technical infrastructures, and lack of facilities for trail examinations. Add to this a perceptible weakness in the governance like lack of transparency, accountability, consistency, and corruption. Although it is easy to buy a motorcycle in Nepal, it is incredibly complicated to get a driving license. Consequently, many Nepali citizens haven’t had the opportunity to avail the services of their personal transportation to its fullest and are compelled to ride without any license.
A sense of chaos can be observed in all transport offices around the country. The Department of Transport Management regularly claims to be working at their full capacity, but the reality contradicts their words. Citizens have to devote hours, sometimes even days, to register or renew a license, or pay vehicle tax. Out of sheer frustration and desperation, most of these helpless applicants turn to brokers for services that are readily available around the office.
The Challenges
The Department of Transport Management under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport postponed the license examination after the government imposed a lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus. Although the transport offices have been delivering other services, the driving license application service has not been resumed yet. Due to this, thousands of applicants struggle to submit online forms because of servers crashing down time and again.
Moreover, written and trial examinations for the applicants are conducted in the gap of 4 to 6 months. Therefore, the applicants have to wait for months after submitting the application form. Inevitably, it is not just about the inconvenience faced by average motorcycle owners to commute, but also about many others for whom a license motorcycle serves as a means of livelihood. On the other hand, the traffic division has been imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 and seizing motorcycles from riders without a driving license.
While traveling, riders are frequently compelled to pay fines ranging from Rs 500-1500 to traffic constables as they haven’t been issued a license. A minor accident involving such a rider without a license can lead them to serious and severe punishment. These helpless owners are, in turn, forced to resort to corruption that includes bribing the traffic police officers and other bureaucrats. Many individuals have lost their jobs, especially those engaged in the advertising, marketing, and ride-sharing business. Furthermore, this also forces the riders to lose their dignity and are forced to be at the mercy of the traffic constables, and have to resort to begging, lying, and get used to being groveled by the authorities.
Likewise, in December 2015, the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) commenced issuing smart licenses under a USD $ 25-million project funded by the Asian Development Bank. But, it is evident that the DoTM has not been able to do proper homework on efficient distribution of a basic thing like smart driving licenses. So much so that even some people who got registered in the first batch are yet to receive their smart cards. Five years is more than adequate time to figuring out the supply shortages and overcoming them.
Nevertheless, making the clients wait for years for a smart driving license is simply frustrating, especially after having made them pay a large sum in taxes. It is awful to have a rider commute with a license fee receipt instead of the driving license for more than one year. The department of transport management has been trying to disguise its incompetency by blaming the supplier’s printing capacity.
Best way forward
There is a dire need to upgrade the network to ensure reliable and robust service delivery. The Department of Transport Management, assigned with the management and distribution of motorcycle licenses, has only 14 distribution offices across the country. The Koshi zone, for instance, handles the registration of 6 major cities. The zonal system has been replaced with federal entities following federalization. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management should transfer the burden of DoTM that includes carrying out all the procedures related to obtaining a driving license to the respective districts, which are known as the second-level of administrative authority in the province. Centers should conduct trial examinations and also need to expand their network and capacity by including driving training institutes to make it easier for the applicants to choose the location according to their convenience.
The other significant area to mitigate issues pertaining to driving licenses is to enhance digital technology. There is a need to recruit better web developers and data managers to make online applications and taxation systems work seamlessly. There is a dire need for capacity enhancement and creative thinking to face the challenges coming across the smooth issuance of licenses. Also, the lack of skilled human resources should be addressed, and there should be effective implementation of digital systems to lessen the hassles faced by the service-seekers.
Many people point out brokers to be a significant problem and need to be weeded out of this system. However, they exist because of the inefficiency of the bureaucracy. A proper management handled by competent bureaucrats would easily make brokers irrelevant. Therefore, it is important to streamline the administrative activities and the management by completely overhauling the current inefficient system.
