Traffic violators to soon get e-tickets

Officials hope this will bring more transparency to process, ease payment system

ISLAMABAD: In a step which will herald the capital’s traffic police into a digital era, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) is expected to start issuing e-tickets to motorists for violating traffic rule violations soon.

Under the new system, which is expected to be launched within a month’s time, traffic wardens would issue tickets using smartphones. Moreover, to make paying the fine easier — and paperless —violators would be able to pay their fine at the hundreds of telecom outlets peppering the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.



In this regard, memorandum of understanding was signed between the police and the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Inspector General of Police’s office on Monday. The agreement was signed by NBP CEO and President Saeed Ahmed and IG Islamabad Sultan-e-Azam Temuri.

This partnership will enable the issuance of paperless tickets to drivers through a specialized smartphone application along with the electronic receipt to the driver via short messaging services (SMS).

The ITP said that the initiative will, most importantly, bring transparency to the ticket issuing process apart from simplifying the ticket issuance and collection mechanism.



Explaining the new process, officials said that whenever a traffic warden flags down a violator, they will use the application to issue a ticket to the driver. The driver will then get a message about the violation they committed and the value of the fine they have to pay.

Road users will be able to pay the fine at any mobile banking retailer.

Officials added that the entire process will take place in real-time while violators will be spared the agony of standing in long queues at banks and ITP ticket branches to pay their fines.



“This service offers simplification of work, which leads to time-saving, and minimises book entry errors as everything will be done digitally,” said NPB chief Saeed Ahmed.

IGP Islamabad Dr Sultan Azam Temuri said that this was but one of the digital facilities the capital’s police will be trying to introduce.

“In our Safe City initiatives, we shall strive to make extensive use of digital facilities. The initiative [e-ticket] is designed to facilitate not only our traffic officials but also the general public.”

SSP-Traffic said ITP officials were currently being trained by the NBP to run the new system. He said the citizens would also be able to pay their driving licence fees through mobile banking retailers. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2018.