[gsurya]

Anyone who has recently taken a learner's driving license in Mumbai will vouch that the system can be changed, even in present structure. Very much like the Passport reform.

Its totally online, no touts possible. In fact, if you approach an agent, he refuses saying he cant do anything.

Entire procedure is smooth, gets done in an hour & with zero paperwork with the learner's license issued immediately at the end of it.

And its the same RTO people running it, nobody new. Just recollect a decade before how MTNL/BSNL, Gas, Passport services were - impossible to get done without a tout. And see now.

So instead of grandiose announcements, Govt should do the hard work of execution & change which takes persuasion, implementation & time.

[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by condor

These are not the same. Work related to Passports is mostly about the passport & can be done in the RPO.

Of course they are not the same . But both involve a lot of backoffice / officework. It is this officework process that counts for a lot of suffering and can easily be overhauled.

Originally Posted by condor

But with the RTO, the work can be anywhere where a vehicle can be.

That's a bit of hyperbole and is similar to saying the passport office's work is anywhere where passport applicants are (which is probably more accurate). Both involve a degree of 'fieldwork' (For RPO this is police verification, for RTO it is license test examiner / vehicle examiner).

I believe if the officework / interface is revamped, the vast bulk of the corruption / apathy / harassment will also end. So if they install a system to get appointments for driving test, the hassle of scheduling it (which is a big pain) can be taken care of. Similarly stuff like transfer of ownership, hypothecation (+removal), registration, road tax, etc. are all predominantly officework which can be made convenient.

[condor]

Transfer of ownership etc are the easy stuff now. The bigger problem is outside the office where implementation is in the hands of traffic cops / RTO. Again, another grey area.

[smooth indian]

The govt's announcement to do something of the RTOs is indeed welcome. However just dismantling RTOs and creating a new dept will not suffice. The devil lies in the details. Some major changes to way of functioning are necessary.

All licenses and records should be digitized and the changeover process to electronic means should be speeded up. A central repository should be created to All RTOs should operate out of good permanent buildings (unlike the tin sheds at MH02 @ Andheri) with a more transparent set-up. certain processes like renewal of driver licenses can be done online.

The no. of RTOs should be increased. Metropolitan cities should be given additional RTOs e.g. mumbai has about 3/4 RTOs which should be increased to 6 or 7. There is also a need for additional RTOs at Tehsil level instead of of just one per district. The additional RTOs may actually be subcontracted to interested parties with a provision of liability of RTOs for any slackness, corruption on the concerned RTO's part resulting in mishaps.

Driver education, testing and training can be allowed to be done outside of the RTO ambit. So voluntary organizations like WIAA, Rotary clubs, Schools/Colleges or private foundations with good standing should be allowed to provide education, training and certification of drivers. For many people their RTO experience is often getting a drivers license. If there is an alternative means for them fulfill these needs then the work load on the RTOs can be decreased and corruption can be curtailed if not eliminated.

Finally, the road system & the arrangement of traffic paraphernalia like road signs, curbs/dividers and regulations for parking e.t.c needs to be streamlined and standardized. There is nothing more disconcerting for the public and maybe even the cops to see reality that is far more bizarre than what the rulebook/textbook describes.

[farhadtarapore]

I'll be really happy when
a) I can take my car anywhere in India. As in, relocate, and not bother about changing the number and repaying the road tax and trying (unsuccessfully) to get a refund from the originating RTO
b) I can sell my vehicle without being bothered about whether the buyer has registered the vehicle in his/her name. I am still getting challans for a bike I had sold 6 years ago because the buyer didn't get it registered in his name. Law or process seems to be incomplete here.
c) I can renew my registration or license or remove hypothecation without filling up zillion forms and bearing the rudeness of the RTO officials if the documents are not submitted in the way the agents do it.