MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Transcription

1 MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS 1. Why do I have to pay penalty fee while my vehicle is off-road? 2. What happens if I fail an eye test during the issuance of my driver s license? Department of Road Transport & Safety Frequently Asked Questions Vehicle Registration & Licensing You do not necessarily have to pay penalty fee, but failure to report the incidence within three months of the license expiry will cause the vehicle to accumulate penalties. (Exemption can only be applied for a minimum of three (3) months and a maximum of twelve (12) months), but it can be cancelled at anytime the vehicle has been fixed. You are referred to an eye test doctor, who has to complete the DL 8 (Eye Screening) form issued to you by DRTS office after the test. No other form of results exempt the DL 8 will be accepted. 3. Is it possible to renew the road license without the registration book? 4. Why at times one cannot be helped while he/she came in the afternoon before 4 pm? 5. Why the Department is charging penalty fee of P 7.00 per day for failing to renew driving licenses before expiry date? 6. What has been done to address congestion at our offices? Yes, provided you produce the following form of identity, i.e. Omang for citizens Passport and resident/exemption permit for expatriates and, Original expired disc and the individual identification (citizen or expatriate) in case of organizations. The queue monitoring system takes precedence over the set office hours. Through QMS, the Department is able to determine the estimated waiting time for each customer. Once the estimated waiting time goes beyond 1600 hrs the office will stop to issue any additional tickets. This means that customers may be declined even before 1600 hrs. The law provides that failure to renew the license within the stipulated time; one will have to pay a penalty fee of P 7.00 per day excluding weekends and public holidays but the penalty shall not exceed P 1, The Department continues to address such problems through; Procurement of new additional equipment which has been installed in a number of offices Opening of new offices Staff recruitment Increasing agency service points e.g. post offices

2 7. Which particular Transport service Motor Vehicle Licence Renewal Is offered at the following Post is on offer at selected Post Offices Offices: and currently which are those Post GABORONE MASUNGA Post Office Offices? River Walk Post Office HUKUNTSI Post Office University Of Botswana Post Office MAUN Post Office LETLHAKANE Post Office Station (Rail Park Mall) Post SEROWE Post Office Office SELEBI-PHIKWE KANYE Mmasekou Post Office Selebi-Phikwe Post Office FRANCISTOWN Botshabelo Post Office Francistown Post Office MOCHUDI Post Office Tati Town Post Office LETLHAKENG Post office ORAPA Post Office 8. What are the requirements for Change of Ownership 9. Why does the Department use different penalties for driving licenses and PrDP s Certified copies of ID s of the current and the new owner Current Registration book signed by the current owner and new owner (In the case of the deceased owner; a death certificate and court order/customary court letter/district Attorney (Molaodi) indicating the beneficiary is required) Organizational Stamp as it appears on the registration book next to the signature in the case of organizations The required fee is currently P The Road Traffic Act prescribes different penalties and penalizing methods for driving licenses and PrDP s. Please also note that a PrDP is a permit not a license. 10. How are PrDP penalties charged A PrDP is given a grace period of 7 days from its expiry, failure to renew within this time will accrue penalties at P a day until it reaches a month from the PrDP expiry date, at which point the PrDP will be cancelled and the holder will be required to make a fresh application, taking all tests where necessary. The law does not provide for exemption. 11. Why am I able to exempt my vehicle road license and told that I cannot exempt its permit 12. Why does it take too long to convert foreign driving licenses Each is governed by its unique law. The Road Transport Permit act has no provisions for exemption of Road Transport permit mainly because the vehicle has to stay operational and give service to the public, which is why vehicle substitution is catered for. It has come to light that many applications for driving license conversion use non authentic documents and as such the Department has resolved to verify all documents with issuing authorities. This is a lengthy process that depends on other stakeholders for cooperation. DRIVER TRAINING AND EXAMINATION 1 Why is it not possible to get a Due to high failing rates which leads to re-booking of theory tests.

3 nearer date for writing theory Expiring date of documents. tests? Classroom accommodation is also a constraint. 2 Why are bookings done on The ultimate intention is to reduce long queues during pick Tuesdays and Thursdays in periods and also to give a chance to those who are renewing their Gaborone and Francistown? driver s license as in most cases visit the mentioned offices in large numbers. 3 Why is it necessary for any person Section 106 subsection 2 of the RTA states that no person shall driving a pickup to be in possession drive a vehicle conveying goods for hire or reward or own account of (Professional Driving Permit) unless he is the holder of PrDP goods or PrDP H (Hazardous) for PrDP goods? that class of vehicle. 4 Why is it necessary for people School buses means a motor vehicle solely for the conveyance of driving school buses to be in school children from place of abode to a school and vice versa or possession of PrDP special? to undertake extra-curricular activities, therefore it is a requirement that those who drive buses owned by institutions, like private schools, secondary schools, University of Botswana, companies, but not those who are driving to and fro school on own account should be in possession of PrDP S (special) TRAFFIC SAFETY EDUCATION 1 What is being done to address deaths and injuries resulting from road traffic accidents? The problem continues to be addressed through a number of initiatives such as children traffic education; out-reach programs undertaken by district road safety committees; review of Road Traffic Act; media campaigns; enforcement initiatives; and the national road safety strategic plan is being developed to undertake a holistic approach to issues of road safety education 2 What is the purpose of traffic safety To impart a meaningful traffic safety education to the motoring educational road blocks? public, encourage them to take rest after every 200 km or whenever they feel tired. During these campaigns the road safety messages are mainly built around the critical themes of: drink driving, speed, fatigue and use of safety devices, un-safe road user behaviour by pedestrians. 3 How do you measure the effectiveness of Children Traffic School? We do measure its effectiveness by observing trends of roadway traffic casualties in the areas that we visited and make revisits whenever the situation does not show any element of stability or improvement VEHICLE EXAMINATION 1 Why do Vehicle Examiners impound vehicles at roadside roadblocks? We do impound vehicle on account of safety and advice owners that their vehicles do not meet the requirements of the Road Traffic Act and as such their vehicles have to be subjected to thorough checks at the nearest testing stations wherein their

4 deficiencies will be presented to the owner. 2 What are the requirements for vehicle roadworthiness testing? 3 What are some of the reasons for rejection of a vehicle to undergo vehicle roadworthiness testing at Testing Stations? Take your vehicle to the nearest DRTS Testing Station Bring Registration book Complete application for vehicle roadworthiness examination (DRTS 12 Form) Pay the required fee (fee vary depending on the vehicle gross weight and unladen weight) i.e. for light vehicles the fee is P , P for vehicles over 3500 kg and P for earthmoving equipment. Excessive dirt on the vehicle which makes investigation and inspection impossible. Vehicle not licensed or being driven without a temporary license/motor dealer license. Engine not starting independent from its power source. 4 Can a vehicle fail roadworthiness Excessive smoking is a reason to fail. All vehicle due to excessive smoking, oil or fuel components/parts must be intact and leak-free at all times as per leakages? manufacturers specifications and operational expectations. 5 Is it allowed to alter vehicle suspension system components/parts? No. Modification of the suspension or any system is not allowed. All systems must conform to the manufacturers specifications. 6 Is it allowed to use coloured additional illumination on vehicles? e.g. Blue lights underneath the car etc. This is contrary to the requirements of the Act and one can be charged for this offense and his or her vehicle be prohibited from being driven on the road. 7 Is it allowed to use spot lights? No. Spot lights are prohibited by law because they cannot be adjusted properly resulting in a condition whereby they will dazzle other road users leading to dangerous situations on the road. 8 Why are some Public Service Vehicles in bad driving conditions? It is a requirement by law that all Public Service Vehicles must be roadworthy at all times. It is however important to note that PSV s are subjected to mandatory roadworthiness test after every six months, whereas they travel longer distances on a daily basis, often on bad road conditions culminating in defects manifesting. It is for this reason that the Department periodically embarks on roadside checks to ensure that these vehicles are driven in a good and safe condition. 9 Is it allowed to bring vehicles for roadworthiness test at any time to check their serviceability? Yes. It is allowed provided one pays a prescribed fee.

5 TRANSPORT PROMOTIONS 1. What are the requirements for applying for road transport permits? We have 2 types of Permits which are Passenger and Goods permits. The following are the Permit sub-types: Tour operation, Scheduled/Long route, Local route, Staff transportation, School, Taxi, Cab and Own account. The requirements for permit application are therefore stipulated below: Certified copies of ID of the applicant or Resident permit and passport if an applicant is a foreigner. Share certificate and certificate of incorporation of a company, if the applicant is a company Registration book and Roadworthiness certificate if applicant already possesses a vehicle- if not, an applicant should provide financial proof ( a letter from any financial institution to prove that the applicant will be financed) Complete RTS. 1 Application form Application fee (P ) For School Bus applicants, they should furnish a List of students, stamped and letter from school head, signed and stamped. For Tour Operation, Tourism license is required and Cab requires BTA Radio license. 2. What regulates the permits and the use of Public Service Vehicles? They are regulated by the Road Transport Permits Act and the Road Traffic Act 3. Which are the classes of vehicles All vehicles which are used to convey passengers and all which are to be driven with commercial motor vehicles which are used to convey goods for professional Driving permits (PrDP)? hire, reward or on own account 4. What should I do when I want to sell a vehicle that has been on operation (Public Service Vehicles)? No permit of any class shall be transferable except with the written consent of the Controller, therefore before a Public Service vehicle is sold you should seek authority from the controller. 5. What should I do if the permit holder dies and I am the remaining bequeathed of the Permit holder s estate? 6. Your Department has seized P- permit applications, and when do you intend to make openings for these applications? If you are the testator of the estate, you should inform the controller in writing within 21 days of the permit holder s death. As a proof, the following are required: letter from district commissioner, letter from the chief (Kgosi) and death certificate. The exercise is complete and the Department now accepts new permit applications.

6 TRANSPORT INSPECTORATE S 1. On many occasions we meet a number of officers on the street, who identifies themselves as transport inspectors, what is the difference between Botswana police mandate and inspectorate mandate? 2. If I am a holder of the Transport permit for a route, what am I expected to do when I want to ply on a different route? 3. What is the age at which a child is required to pay public transport fares? 4. In case one does not have a permit for a kombi, does he/she require such to transport passengers? Transport inspectorate mandate is to ensure adherence to the road transport regulatory instruments whereas Botswana police service provide supplementary support to the transport inspectorate where there is a need on the law enforcement area. A vehicle is allowed to be attached to one permit, and when the permit holder intends to vary the said authorized route is required to seek authority from the Controller. RTA Cap 69:01 section 113 states that: A child who is under the apparent age of five years and who does not occupy a seat shall not be counted as a person. Any two children each of whom is over the apparent age of five years and under the apparent age of 12 years shall count as one passenger. Yes if you transport more than 7 people you need a permit (short term permit that will be specific for the days of travel) all those who have combis that do not have permits must apply for short term permits before travelling. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) 1 What do you mean when you say the systems are down? 2 Why is your network always down as compared to Orange and Mascom? 3 Why is that when the systems are down, manual system cannot be used? There is no network or the serves are down. DRTS Serves are located at (Department of Information Technology) DIT and sometimes the database is down. Our network is linked to DIT by the help of BTC. There are certain components that always get affected. This include routers etc Sometimes they get power surge or there may be no power. These are (Orange and Mascom), separate networks from Government The manual system is outdated and the reasons for not using it are as follows; Eliminate fraud To have the information available centrally to everyone at all times (high levels of transparency)