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Danjuma Garba, the Director, FCT Directorate of Road Transport Services (DRTS) says the agency has upgraded its operational facilities to meet the demands of motorists.

Garba said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The VIO boss, who assumed duty recently, said the move was part of efforts to ensure efficient service delivery to motorists and reposition the DRTS in line with international best practice.

He said that the agency recently launched the e-vehicle registration and computerised vehicle inspection scheme as part of efforts to transform its operations.

He explained that the hitherto cumbersome process of vehicle registration had been streamlined into an efficient one-stop shop registration centre with the introduction of the e-vehicle registration scheme.

“With the new ICT driven registration centre, it will take an average of one hour for each motorist to register and get his vehicle plate number unlike in the past,’’ Garba said.

According to him, the centre also has the road safety section, police section and a bank facility to accommodate all the necessary verification and payment units within the same vicinity.

“I assure all motorists in the FCT that with this new vehicle registration centre, all the processes have been streamlined.

“Motorist will no longer have to wait for weeks to register their vehicles and get their new plate numbers,’’ he said.

Garba said that government had approved the price for registration and new plate number at N27, 000 including insurance.

He advised motorist to be weary of touts who might try to swindle them.

On the launch of the computerised vehicle inspection scheme, he said that scheme, which commenced in September was meant to blaze the trail in vehicle inspection international best practice and professionalism.

“Vehicle inspection is carried out to ascertain mechanical, physical or otherwise, fitness of any vehicle.

“This is done in the FCT to ensure safety of lives and property on FCT roads and highways.

“Some of these tests are either carried out on the highway during routine checks or fully in the station yard before vehicle registration and renewal of vehicle particulars are done.’’

He said that some computerised test centres had been established in strategic areas of the metropolis such as Airport Road, Kubwa and Nyanya to complement the ones in their various offices.

“What will be inspected are brakes, wheel alignment, steering, general body, tyre, shock absorber and emission.

“And if your vehicle passes the test, it will be given 12 months road worthiness for private vehicles, six months for commercial vehicles.

“If it fails, the individual will rebook for an appointment for re-test within 30 days and if the person fails to show up, then the person will be asked to make another payment.’’

The FCT VIO boss said that the DRTS was working hard to ensure that all vehicles plying FCT roads underwent the test to ascertain their road worthiness.