Is it time to scrap paper stickers that display vehicle registrations, warrants of fitness, and road user charges and digitalise the whole process?
The Automobile Association (AA) says yes, believing it could save road users and the taxpayer a fair chunk of money. And the Government seems to be of the same mind, so change may not be far away.
Vehicle registrations and road user charges are significant funding tools for the Government’s transport projects. According to NZ Autocar, they add roughly $470 million to the Government’s budget and cost $50 million to administer.
But the AA says the current system of windshield stickers and accompanying paperwork is outdated and should be dropped – because it is pretty much all digital anyway.
“All that information is currently available,” AA’s principal adviser for motoring policy Terry Collins said.
“If you get stopped by a police car, the police already know whether your road user charges are up to date, whether your vehicle is registered, or whether you’ve got a warrant of fitness.
“All that data is maintained on the motor vehicle register.”
He said AA thinks removing paperwork and other administration costs would see savings passed through to motorists.
“If you use the road user charges, it’s 10% more expensive to buy it at the counter than it is to buy it online.
“Yet, they’re still posting all the paperwork, which can take up to 10 working days.”
Collins added that the only reason paper stickers still exist is so motorists can keep up to date with when everything is due, but he said the government already has systems that help this.
Last week, a new NZTA app that streamlines the process was announced. The app displays expiry dates for cars’ Warrants of Fitness, Vehicle Registrations, and Road User Charge end distance. It also allows road users to pay for everything in one place.
Collins said this will make “life easier for our members and motorists”.
“With friendly reminders, they’re more likely to get that done if they know it’s due.”
He also said compliance would likely improve through a more digitised system.
“Fewer excuses around ‘I forgot’ or ‘I didn’t know it was due’ because now you’ve got all these reminders going out.”
His only suggestion was to keep the paper stickers for older drivers who use technology less frequently or people in rural areas.
“Some type of alternative may be necessary for them to make the application,” he said. “But to be honest, we probably just don’t need them.”
1News approached Transport Minister Simeon Brown to see if the Government was looking into a digitised system.
Brown replied with a statement, saying: “The Government is committed to cutting out unnecessary bureaucracy and delivering services New Zealanders need in a convenient and timely way.
“One of the ways we are looking to do this is by digitising processes such Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and vehicle registrations.
“We have already released the NZTA mobile App (in Beta), which displays WoF and vehicle registration information (including expiry dates).
“Feedback from users on the App to date has been incredibly positive, and NZTA will continue to update and improve functionality.