Jacobs at the launch of the Langlaagte Automation Pilot, Langlaagte
2 April 2007
'Producing better drivers for our province'
Programme Director
Honourable guests
Friends and colleagues
Ladies and gentlemen
The residents of our province demand and deserve a better quality service.
As the department we are committed to delivering a system that will adequately
redress the challenges identified and raised in the 2007 Legislature Opening
Address by Premier Mbhazima Shilowa regarding the need for an equitable, fair
and accessible Learner Booking System for our province.
The current Learners' Licence Test is being conducted manually and it
consists of three books of multiple questions. The books have been in existence
for many years now and this further raises the possibility of fraud and
corruption.
There is also a continuously rising demand for drivers' licences in view of
economic growth and the need for increased access to economic opportunities.
The drivers' licence has therefore become an essential tool for such
access.
There is considerable propensity for fraud and corruption in the current
learners' testing system, with the possibility of human interference with the
results of the current learners' licence test.
The challenges we face also relate to the following:
* the exchange of bribes for a favourable test result in the current testing
system
* the test books are several years old, and they can be copied and sold to
prospective applicants
* administrative bottlenecks and backlogs due to a travelling increased demand
that follows more efficient centres of service.
The programmes and redress
Langlaagte Automation Pilot
Given the challenges relating to service delivery such as corruption and
administrative bottlenecks at Drivers' Licence Testing Centres (DLTC), we, as
the Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, have deemed it necessary
to pilot the turnkey automation of testing centres, starting with Langlaagte.
This is being done with the view to improve the quality of service and to also
limit the propensity for corrupt elements to temper with service delivery at
the testing centres.
The pilot licence test that we are introducing will be fully run by the
computer programme and this completely eliminates human interference as well as
the propensity for the exchange of bribes for a pass. The test is also user
friendly and it does not, at all, require computer literacy. It is a touch
screen test.
In terms of the new system the person who applies for a licence test will be
informed by the touch screen whether or not they have passed the test. The
examiner will play an invigilator role. Pen and paper will no longer be
required. The driver's licence test will also be fully automated, with cameras
stationed inside and outside both the testing yard and the vehicle. The new
test will also use electronic tracking on all these new vehicles.
We have spent more than R23 million on the project, purchasing the system
and the vehicles that will be used for the driver's test. Two mobile trucks
with learners' licence testing cubicles have also been purchased so as to
enable access for people in remote areas and to also help school pupils to
write their learners' test.
As a caring government, we are taking concrete steps to produce better
drivers and to offer a corruption free service to the residents of our province
and the people of our country. Bad drivers contribute to lack of safety on our
roads and this also leads to unnecessary loss of lives. We cannot allow this to
continue. Fraud puts incompetent drivers on our roads. It also leads to loss of
revenue, also placing an unacceptable additional strain on our health services
and the economy as a whole.
The Langlaagte Drivers Licence Testing Centre is situated in the South West
of Johannesburg and is mostly used by people from Soweto and surrounding
Johannesburg areas. It is the only site in Johannesburg that has been developed
into a one stop shop i.e. police clearances, vehicle testing, motor vehicle
registration and driver licence testing.
Lat year, we took the initiative and directed the department to look at the
feasibility of rolling out and showcasing the complete pilot as of September
2006. Therefore, as part of the investigation, the Langlaagte Driving Licence
Testing Centre was identified as a Centre where the system could be piloted and
showcased to the entire province.
A project presentation was done on 14 July 2006 to the Department of Public
Transport, Roads and Works and the Council of the City of Johannesburg. The
department together with the City of Johannesburg was eager to roll out the
system following feasibility outcomes which showed that this would have a
positive impact on service delivery. We then set aside an amount of R23 million
for the implementation of the pilot project. We also decided that the pilot
outcomes would inform further implementation of the system in the province.
The system has four main facets, namely:
* a booking module
* the computerised learner's licence test
* mobile learner licence class
* technology to be installed in vehicles with transponders along the route for
the road test.
The booking system
The booking system is computerised and it allows the driving licence testing
centre to arrange bookings for driving licences according to their available
resources. The system digitally registers the candidate's details, including
biometrics, Identity Document barcode system, capture reservation of date and
time of test, and integrated receipting of application fees.
The digital registration and recording of above-mentioned information
eliminates the possibility that any other person other than the applicant
taking the test is present on the day of the test.
Once the applicant has been registered, the system provides a seat number
where the applicant needs to sit and be subjected to the learners' licence
test. Once this has been provided, then the applicant is taught how to use the
system, and this is done to familiarise the candidate with the test to be
conducted.
Computerised learners licence test
This is a fully computerised learner's test that has a touch screen computer
and all the questions in the system are randomised. Candidates writing a test,
in the same room and at the same time, will be subjected to different tests at
the same time. The applicant cannot predict the order of the questions. The
tests are not the same, although the value of the tests is the same.
The system verifies the candidate by means of finger print bio-metrics
before the test is done. The computer screen also displays the facial image of
the candidate to confirm to the candidate the test venue and seat he or she
should occupy while writing the test.
The system then prompts the candidate to have a trial test before the actual
test to actually evaluate the familiarity with the test. If any of the
candidates is not familiar, then the examiner for driving licences can assist.
The system is very user friendly and once the test has been completed the
results are made immediately available and onscreen.
Mobile learners' licence class
Two seven ton trucks have been acquired by the department equipped with 13
computerised learners' licence test stations, with air conditioning, video
monitoring and tracking system. These vehicles will be used to bring the
service to those areas that do not have a Driving Licence Testing centre or
where the centre is far and not easily accessible to the people.
The two trucks are loaded with Personal Computers that have a Computerised
Learners' Licence Test System.
The department is looking into utilising the vehicles as follows:
* to improve public access to government services
* to provide a training facility for users
* to bring the service to school premises for Grade 11 and 12 learners.
Electronic vehicle tracking
This a system that is used to monitor the learner driver while being tested
for the driving licence. The vehicles that are used for the driving licence
test are owned by the Department. The candidate's particulars pertaining to his
or her learner's licence are retrieved on the system to verify the information
provided by the candidate.
The examiner and the learner driver will use the vehicles fitted with
cameras and route monitoring system. The yard is also fitted with Closed
Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor the test. The examiner will not use the
paper exam sheet, but this is, instead, done by a computerised sheet that
prompts the examiner to tick as and when necessary.
This tool can be used to monitor the examiner's performance and to provide
training when performance is below average. As soon as the test is concluded
the system immediately prints the results. If it is a pass the driving licence
gets ordered immediately. If it is a fail the examiner can show the learner
driver the reasons for failure.
The information and the video clips are stored for future reference. More
than six sessions can be conducted a day and this system can be used even
during weekends and after hours 24/7/365.
The complete solution at Langlaagte Driving Licence Testing Centre will
comprise of the following:
* seventy seater Computerised Learners Licence System class room
* ten monitored light motor vehicles
* ten monitored heavy motor vehicles
* two heavy motor vehicles (7-ton) mobile learners licence classes
* twenty fully fitted driving licence examiners briefing rooms, including
tablet computers for K53 testing
* twenty yard surveillance cameras
* seven robot monitoring transmitters
* positive impact
* improved service delivery
* reduction and elimination of corruption
* production of competent drivers
* value for money
* revenue from increased throughput
* cost savings from lower collision related costs
* cost savings from fewer forensic investigations
* reliable management information, accurate statistics available quickly
* centralised License Booking System roll-out.
The Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works (DPTRW) and the Gauteng
Shared Service Centre (GSSC) have been working tirelessly to improve the
learners and drivers licence booking process following the commitments made by
Premier Mbhazima Shilowa at the opening of Legislature to turnaround licence
booking in Gauteng.
The improved and fully automated licence booking system to be rolled out in
phases starting 30 March 2007, is but one of the solutions that the Gauteng
Provincial Government (GPG) will be implementing in the coming months to
improve efficiency, convenience and transparency in the booking process.
The centralised booking system, implemented in conjunction with walk-in
bookings aims to:
* provide a stable, high performing technology solution or environment that
will enable citizens to access the Gauteng Provincial Government contact for
licence bookings at all times
* provide a transparent and auditable solution that will give all stakeholders
visibility into the end-to-end licence booking process with a view to
eliminating fraud and corruption in the booking process
* to enable DLTCs to load resources, view bookings and confirm receipt of
payments
* have a web-based licensing booking service for contact centre agents to
utilise, enabling full visibility of resource capacity within all DLTCs in the
province enable prospective learners to view their status on the waiting
through the GPG portal: http://www.gautengonline.gov.za
* provide sms support providing confirmation of bookings, reminders and
notifications to prospective learners.
Expected outcomes
* a stable contact centre environment ensuring reliable, easy and convenient
access to licence bookings by the public within the GPG
* the new system will also provide intelligence (Management Information) to
determine trends regarding demand versus supply, areas of concentration for
such demand and demand split per license category; this will enable the
department to better plan for capacity and resource deployment
* productivity of DLTCs will become visible, enabling an assessment of the need
for additional DLTCs or any other resources within the province.
Benefit to the public
* quick and higher rates of bookings resulting in actual tests being
undertaken, with optimal utilisation of resources within the DLTCs
* prospective learners and the public in general will in the medium to long
term be able to view availability of slot through the GPG Portal so they can
proactively determine the centre of choice
* minimised frustrations currently experienced by members of the public in not
being able to get bookings; this occurrence will reduce and in time it will be
eradicated
* improved access to booking process; across multiple interaction channels and
SMS notifications and reminders, thereby giving the public a choice of access
to bookings.
The planned system roll-out will be implemented on a region by region basis
on the following dates:
Gauteng citizens will be able to start utilising the central booking service
through the province's 0860 Gauteng/ 0860 42 88 364 number from the go-live
dates mentioned above and walk-in bookings will also feed directly into a
common and centralised system.
We have taken all of these initiatives so as to ensure that we rise to the
challenge of delivering quality services to the Gauteng province. Working with
you, the residents of Gauteng and all stakeholders, we have more reason to
believe that we have turned the corner.
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
2 April 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za)
