By Gaynor Noyce
 

JOHANNESBURG - The demand for renewal of drivers’ licences hit an all- time high in February, and the notoriously long and slow queues at licensing departments aren’t expected to abate soon.

This trend is expected to continue until April as the bulk of drivers face their five year renewal period.

On February 28, 14 616 transactions were recorded, the highest number for a single day since the inception of the eNaTIS in April last year.

“This coincides with the March and April 2003 last-minute rush to convert drivers’ licences to the new credit card size,” says Werner Koekemoer, eNaTIS project manager.

Most of the drivers who converted last are now applying for their second credit-card-format driving licence. This elevated demand is expected until the end of April.

There has been a surge in demand for licences since December 2007.

In addition to the increase in driving licence card orders, learners’ licence transactions also rose by more than 12% in February.

The breakdown of transactions performed during February 2008 is: 75 571 learners’ licence authorisations, 254 890 driving licence card orders, 68 775 vehicle record introductions, 284 524 vehicle registrations and 891 168 vehicle licensing transactions.