Digital driving licences to be introduced in the UK by 2024
Digital driving licences to be introduced in the UK by 2024
The UK Government has announced plans to move provisional licences to a new app within three years, with full licences to follow.
Digital driving licences are to be launched by 2024, according to the Transport Secretary.
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said that learner drivers would be able to access their provisional licences digitally by using an app within the next three years.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) confirmed it was developing an app that would allow learner drivers to access their provisional driving licence via smartphones by 2024. The DVLA is expected to move full driving licences online in later years.
Chief Executive of the DVLA, Oliver Morley, tweeted an image of a prototype using Apple’s Wallet app on the iPhone to show a digital driving licence.
Mr Morley added, "This will act as an “add-on” to the plastic card as opposed to replacing the traditional plastic photo-card."
"The Wallet App already can store boarding passes, credit, debit, gift and discount cards. It would be convenient for many if a digital driving licence were made available as those who wanted to access it digitally would be able to.
Payment and other information is encrypted with an end-to-end connection. The authorisation is completed by using the user’s fingerprint or a passcode.
Ben Wood, an analyst with CCS Insight, said: “Security has taken a significant step forward to support digital payments on phones, so the framework is in place for other secure applications, such as a digital driving licence.”
“There are not many people in the UK that do not carry a smartphone with them every day, so it is a logical next step.”
Reports also suggest that the DVLA is creating an online customer account facility that will allow all drivers to access their information and DVLA services.
At present, all motorists are required to have a hard copy of their licence - either a plastic photocard or an old-style paper licence. Reports suggest that plastic licences will still be available after digital versions are introduced.
The UK government started digitising driving-related documents in June 2015 by scrapping the paper counterpart of driving licences, which previously included the type of vehicles you were allowed to drive and any penalties points.
Mr Shapps stated that EU rules had prevented the introduction of digital licences and the move was part of “exciting new post-EU freedoms”.
He added: “This is a golden chance to shake off the bureaucracy, invest in our future, and realise our potential with world-leading transport that benefits all of Britain.”
Mr Shapps said that other changes would “bring MOTs into the modern age” but didn’t explain how this would be achieved.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “These days, the one thing drivers are most likely to have with them is their smartphone, so using it to carry their driver’s licence could be helpful.
Mr Gooding added: “The risk is that the more personal data we store on our phones, the more tempting a target they become for thieves and hackers.”
In its strategic plan for 2021-2024, the DVLA confirmed: “We will introduce a digital driving licence for provisional drivers and also start to build a customer account facility.
“This will ultimately give our customers personalised, easy and secure access to a range of services and allow them more choice in how they transact with us.
“Our services will be secure, scalable and resilient, and we will continue to explore and expand the use of emerging technologies.”
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