Digital driving headed for Hong Kong and will cut down on jams at licensing offices, Transport Department promises

Hong Kong drivers will be able to swap their laminated paper driving licences for digital ones by the end of the year, the Transport Department has said. The department on Friday explained the move was designed in line with government plans to digitalise more documents, including licences and vehicle permits. Officials said an online platform to check driving licence-related details and vehicle permits and auction off vehicle registration plates on a virtual basis would be set up by early next year. Angela Lee Chung-yan, the commissioner for transport, said she hoped the new online services could be more convenient for the public. “For example, by saving the need to physically visit the licensing offices, they can have greater flexibility in choosing the time to submit applications,” she said. “We think the introduction of the additional e-licensing services can facilitate the public and streamline the application process of different licences, and we have plans to introduce several different initiatives in the coming year.” Traditional paper vehicle licences, which used to be renewed every year and displayed on windscreens, will no longer state the validity period. Candy Kwok Wai-ying, the assistant commissioner, explained officers will instead scan a QR code on the vehicle licence to check if it has expired. She added electronic driving licences, which can replace traditional ones, will be available by the end of the year. Kwok added drivers will have to download a mobile application that displays their digital driving licence and prove their identity through the government’s iAM Smart app. The digital driving licence will include an encrypted QR code which can be scanned by police and other officials, but will not display the information to the public to ensure data protection. Drivers who drive without a valid licence can be fined up to HK$5,000 (US$640) and jailed for three months for a first conviction. Media will need Hong Kong transport chief to approve access to vehicle registry The department will also launch a website by June which shows users’ driving licence and vehicle ownership information. Users will be able to check their driving offence points and the progress of any applications on the website. The system will also send email and text reminders to users just before licences are due to expire. The distribution of queue numbers will be extended from one department office to the three others for driving licence-related enquiries that still need in-person visits. The offices will distribute 980 numbers a day and the public will be able to check their status in the queue online. “When the public goes to these licensing offices without making an appointment, the wait can range from between one to two hours or more than two hours during peak periods,” Kwok said. “With the queue number system, we can reduce the waiting time to around half an hour,” Kwok said. City media highlighted long queues at the department’s licensing offices early last year after customers complained about having to wait up to four hours for counter service. It was reported some people even paid others to wait in queues on their behalf. Vehicle licence plate auctions, which at present are held twice a month at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre in Wan Chai, will be over time be replaced by online versions, where users can place their bids over a week-long period. Would-be Hong Kong drivers wait more than 1 year to sit road tests, auditor says Kwok said the department would start with the auction of standard vehicle plates to gauge the public acceptance of the online process. “Different vehicle plates have different price ranges,” she said. “For example, the auction of special vehicle plates in real life creates a livelier atmosphere so we will review this depending on feedback. The department said the number of applications made through the government’s one-stop iAM Smart app had tripled to about 180,000 by last November after it launched the service for driving licence renewals and applications in 2021. Lee added about a third of applications for international driving permits every month had been made online since a virtual service was launched last September. Legislator Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong welcomed the announcement that more services would move online. He said digitalisation of transport services was a progressive move by the government that aligned with a general social trend. Chan added he hoped the changes would mean an end to the kind of massive queues for a variety of services seen at the licensing department last year. Lee also confirmed that the department would trial diagonal crossings at the intersection of Carnarvon Road and Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and the intersection of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin. “We want to trial the crosswalks in certain areas to see whether this concept is suitable,” she said. “A crosswalk will bring convenience to pedestrians but might obstruct the flow of traffic as motorists have to wait longer at the light. “We hope to roll out the crosswalks in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin in the first half of the year and gather feedback from both pedestrians and motorists.”