Cape Town pilots ‘cashless’ driving licence centres

In a bid to enhance customer experience and streamline operations, the City of Cape Town has decided to pilot a cashless payment system at three of its driving licence testing centres (DLTCs). The centres, located in Brackenfell, Fish Hoek, and Strand, will begin offering cashless transactions starting from October 1, 2022. Currently, all 18 DLTCs process a multitude of transactions monthly, ranging from traffic fine payments to applications for driver licences and public driving permits.

However, the identified three centres will serve as test sites for a fully cashless system. Mayor alderman JP Smith, speaking on the initiative, hailed the move as a step towards digitisation, affirming that it will significantly improve customer service delivery. The city is also considering the feasibility of an online appointment system, a project already successfully implemented in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.

Furthermore, the forthcoming expiration of driver licence cards after ten years, as opposed to the current five-year period, is expected to alleviate pressure on the centres. The initiative is part of a broader move to modernise customer services across Cape Town, with cashless payment systems already introduced at customer interaction centres and motor vehicle registration and licensing offices.