Kamna Kumar 
[File Photo]
A tragic road accident involving a 17-year-old who was driving without a valid license has renewed calls for the swift rollout of Fiji’s two-tier provisional licensing system.
Despite the Land Transport Amendment Bill being passed in Parliament, authorities confirm that critical system upgrades are still pending before it can take effect.
Assistant Minister for Public Works, Naisa Tuinaceva, says budgetary provisions have been made to kick off phase three of LTA’s digitization and reengineering process.
Tuinaceva says the provisional license system passed by Parliament must be implemented properly and not rushed.
“You simply cannot just put that on the board and say, ‘Okay, it’s done now.’ No, you need to go through the system. You need to follow the process because you are dealing with people here, and it’s a matter of life and death.”
He says the government remains focused on road safety, with the upcoming budget targeting road safety.
He highlights the government’s urgency for rapid results and its commitment to supporting LTA through budget provisions.
LTA Chief Executive, Irimaia Rokosawa, says while changes have been made to the legislation, system upgrades are still required for the two-tier license to take effect.
Rokosawa says while the green light has been given in the Act, work is ongoing on the regulations, and the backup system must be upgraded before implementation.
He confirms that the changes currently exist only in the Act and will be introduced on the ground once the system upgrade is complete.
The Land Transport Amendment Bill was passed in March.
It introduces a new licensing structure that includes P1 and P2 stages aimed at improving driver safety and aligning with legislative standards.
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