August 31st is the deadline for the use of a former driving licence. Drivers who don’t have a biometric driving license will be fined BIF 2, 000 for every extra day from September 1st.They demand additional time.
A crowd of people rush to get biometric driving license before the set deadline
The traffic regulation police are in the process of renewing the local driving license. A fine of BIF 2,000 per day will be imposed from September. “According to article 542 of traffic regulations, whoever will not have the biometric driving license will be fined BIF 2,000 per day. This will be applied from September 1st, 2017 and it concerns people who have not yet taken any step in the application process of a biometric driving license”, said Roger Bankibirwira, the traffic regulation police officer.
He says 75 % of the applicants for the new driving licence have already got it and hopes that the remaining will be served before the end of the deadline. “The work is going on well. Out of 12,962 persons who have applied for a biometric driving license, 9,750 have been already served. We are working much harder to satisfy the demands”. Bankibirwira says around 15,000 persons hold the old driving license whereas his predecessor mentioned around 290,000 in October 2016.
People met on the spot rather demand that they should be given extra time. They say that money, time and distance are the main challenges to the application process. “You know about the current economic situation. I am a driver from Gitega. Apart from abandoning my job for two days, I have to pay extra money for a hotel and trip. And even the cost of the biometric license is not that affordable. They should think of extending the period”, said a man met inside the traffic regulation police office.
The traffic regulation police officer says 312 fake driving licenses have been confiscated throughout the process.
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