Over 300,000 driver’s licences to be issued within three months

Friday, 17 October 2025 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Parliament Secretariat yesterday said that more than 300,000 pending driver’s licences are expected to be printed and distributed within the next three months, according to officials of the Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Ministry.

Briefing the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, officials said all arrangements have been made to expedite printing and issuance, while a new driver’s licence featuring enhanced security features will also be introduced later this year. The Ministry has completed the procurement process for 1 million cards required for printing.

The Committee, chaired by Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Rathnayake, met on 9 October in Parliament. The Minister instructed officials to install printing machines in every province to accelerate the licence issuance process.

Responding to questions on vehicle number plates, officials said that supplier selection is underway and that the process will be completed following Cabinet approval.

The Committee also reviewed the integrated passenger transport timetable now in use. The Minister noted that as it is a policy initiative, the Government will identify shortcomings and expand it to more regions to improve efficiency.

In addition, the Committee discussed a pilot project aimed at reducing elephant-train collisions. It was revealed that Rs. 2.8 million has been allocated to install long-range surveillance cameras on trains operating on the Batticaloa line to monitor and prevent such accidents.

The meeting also included discussions on transport-related issues raised by MPs and potential solutions to address them.