Move over couriers, speed post to deliver driving licences to applicants

Good old speed post could be back in the reckoning. After burning its fingers with inept private courier companies, Delhi’s transport department is looking at the postal service to deliver driving licences to applicants’ addresses. HT Correspondent reports.

Good old speed post could be back in the reckoning. After burning its fingers with inept private courier companies, Delhi’s transport department is looking at the postal service to deliver driving licences to applicants’ addresses.

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Senior transport department officials said they will start the experiment with regional transport offices at Mayur Vihar and Loni which will soon be implemented at each of the 13 zonal transport offices across Delhi.

Over four lakh driving licences are issued in Delhi every year.

This February, the transport department had introduced the system of having licences couriered to applicants’ doorstep. The system served several purposes. One, it eliminated touts. Two, it reduced unnecessary rush at zonal transport offices. The biggest benefit, said transport officials, was that it gave the authorities a chance to verify the applicant’s address.

“But lately we got several complaints from applicants that the licence was not delivered at their address within the stipulated seven days. The courier company also returned many licences saying the address did not exist or the applicant did not live there,” said a senior transport official requesting anonymity.

The department then constituted a team and found that some courier people returned a few licences without even visiting the applicant’s address.