Technology company Tasima, which established and maintains the country's electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis), is ready to roll out the administrative adjudication of road traffic offences (Aarto) system, also known as the points demerit system, CEO Tebogo Mphuti said on Thursday.

The system, once implemented, would result in a driver receiving demerit points, when a traffic offence was committed, as stated in the Aarto Act, No 46 of 1998.

The technology, which was developed over the past two years, is ready for implementation, but it could only be rolled-out once the Transport Minister gazetted the new system.

There were many other functions of the Aarto system, which included licensed South African drivers being able to pay their traffic fines at banks or retail stores and airports and border controls being linked to the eNatis system.

The company would also shortly be rolling out eNatis computerised leaner’s licence testing across the country.

The testing would see a shift from paper-based testing to the use of touch-screen personal computers. The roll-out, which would start in the Eastern Cape, would take place across the country once the provinces were ready to switch over to the new system of testing.

There are about 18 pilot sites identified in South Africa, where each classroom would accommodate about 20 of the specialised computers.

The new system enables individuals to review and complete questions, and upon completion, the hopeful individual would be immediately informed of their failure or success, followed with the issuing of a learner licence.

Mphuti said that the system would also stamp out any bribery or cheating made possible by the current system.

Tasima has also developed mobile units that could be deployed to schools, provided that appropriate training and planning was in place, and to rural areas, where it is often difficult for people to travel to testing centres.

Training was under way for the roll out of both the Aarto system and the computerised leaner’s licence testing, Mphuti said. When the Aarto system comes on line, Tasima would look into expanding its own capacity.

“Government and the Department of Transport are using technology as an enabler for the provision of services to the public, and we at Tasima are keen to have a relationship with these stakeholders that enables those services,” he told Engineering News Online.

Other projects in the pipeline included online renewal services on the eNatis website, an SMS service for license renewal reminders and enabling members of the South African public to pay for a wide array of transactions online and at automated teller machines, starting with vehicle licence renewals later this year.

Further, using hand-held devices, law enforcement officers wouldl be able to query the roadworthy status of vehicles and check for demerit points against drivers, while future enhancements include the ability to issue infringement notices at the roadside and also to record particulars directly at the scene of an accident.

Meanwhile, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) would be linking the gantries that formed part of Gauteng’s new open road tolling system to the eNatis system, which would provide Sanral with all information and details of motorists.