Employees at the Road Traffic Department's offices at the Thomas A. Robinson stadium demonstrates how the new registration process will take place. (Photos: Torrell Glinton)

Within a few days, the Road Traffic Department is expected to remove its manual system, which has been linked to malfeasance and fraud at the department, and replace it with a new modernized system.

The official launch of the new system will take place on October 11, Road Traffic Controller Ross Smith announced yesterday.

An auditor general's report tabled in Parliament in May revealed motor vehicle license revenue was under recorded by a minimum of $10 million, and license plate revenue was under recorded by nearly $250,000.

The general audit covered the period July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015.

At the time, Minister of Transportation and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said the audit pointed to unfortunate age-old problems, which were largely due to the antiquated operational features of the department, which created systemic weaknesses.

The Road Traffic Department, despite its complex network of activities and being a primary source of revenue to the Public Treasury, functions on a manual, paper-based system, Hanna-Martin said.

She said this mode of operation impairs the department's efficiency, can lead to the compromise of the integrity of the system and creates the potential for fraud.

When asked yesterday whether anyone has been prosecuted or held responsible in relation to reported fraud at the department, Smith told The Nassau Guardian that the case is still being investigated and no one has yet to be charged.

He explained how the new system will help to combat fraud.

"Because of all the new security features in the system and it's ability to monitor anyone entering it, it is more secure for the threat of theft and fraud," Smith said.

"All persons using the system need to have a password, so once entered into the system, they will be monitored, and that's one of the strongest aspects that will monitor checks and balances."

The project was announced last year April at a cost of $8.3 million.

Road Traffic Controller Ross Smith holds up a sample version of the new decals which the Road Traffic Department will be issuing from its temporary space at the eastern grandstand of the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and its Bay Street and Carmichael locations beginning on October 11. For the first time the decals will not display the name of the vehicle's owner.

"The integrated digital infrastructure is in place to execute the two or three steps that we will be initiating over a period of time," Smith said.

"We will be ready to provide a greater level of service to our customers when we officially introduce this system."

The system will require that clients register at a one-time fee of $30.

Members of the public are advised to bring with them their passport, voter's card, or birth certificate, along with a copy of their National Insurance card and their driver's license.

At this point, each person will be given a unique number called a Transportation Management Number (TMN) that will last them a lifetime.

"Once registered, you will never have to register again," Smith said.

The next step requires clients to submit payment at one of the pay windows where clients will use their TMN or their driver's license number to pay their fees.

Clients are able to pay by credit card, debit card, or cash.

Smith also announced that the new vehicle discs will no longer carry the vehicle owner's name, only the expiry year of registration, make and model of the vehicle, and the vehicle's plate number.

The modernization is expected to interface with the general ledger of the government's financial accounting and cash receipting systems; the Bahamas Customs Department and the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Sloan Smith, Guardian Staff Reporter

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