Northern Municipal Council push for self-service renewal terminals in public areas

TDT | Manama

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Plans to place self-service machines for renewing driving licences in public areas have won majority backing from the Northern Municipal Council, following a proposal from councillor Mohammed Saad Al Dosari.

However, the council’s deputy chair warned that adding extra devices could slow down the existing online system, which currently completes renewals in seconds.

Motion

Councillors voted yesterday in favour of Al Dosari’s motion to install electronic terminals for driving licence renewal in public locations. He said the idea is meant to give citizens and residents round-the-clock access to renewal services, reduce the need to visit government offices and save time and effort.

The move, he added, is also aimed at improving the quality of government services and strengthening Bahrain’s digital infrastructure in line with national development plans and the sustainable development agenda.

Deputy Chair Zaina Jassim told the meeting that Bahrain already has an advanced e-system for renewing licences, known for its speed and efficiency.

She said the process takes no more than about 20 seconds and is followed by an instant e-mail message confirming that the renewal has gone through.

Jassim added that putting more weight on physical machines could slow this smooth set-up, as devices are exposed to faults and technical glitches that might affect the speed and quality of the service.