YK Poudel

The Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) has canceled 1,603 driving licenses issued between 2016 and August 2023 at Phuentsholing Regional Office due to procedural lapses in the application process. 

The cancellations were mainly due to missing documentation and unfulfilled testing requirements for the drivers.

The decision was made in line with Section 148 of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations (RSTA) 2021, which states that licenses can be canceled if a person acquires one without undergoing the proper tests. 

However, this has prompted discussions at the ongoing National Assembly session on the impact of this decision, particularly for truck and taxi drivers, whose livelihoods are at stake.

Member of Parliament from Radhi-sakteng Constituency, Tashi Tenzin, raised concerns over the long-term consequences for the affected drivers. “Will the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) amend Section 149 of RSTA Regulations 2021 to reduce the three years requirement and allow the 1603 affected drivers to participate in the driving test?”

As per section 149 of the Regulation, the license holder may only be eligible to apply for issuance of a new license after a period three years from the date of cancellation. Further, section 150 of the Regulation requires the licence holder whose licence got canceled to fulfill all the requirements for obtaining the driving licence.

In response, MoIT Minister Chandra Bdr. Gurung said that the ministry is working on revising the regulations to differentiate between license withdrawals and cancellations.  

Lyonpo said that the existing regulation only specifies on cancellation of license and not withdrawal of license without a clear distinction in the severity of the violation. 

“While the regulations require cancellation of license for those who have obtained license without undergoing the required test and for those who have accumulated major offences of traffic violations, there is a need for clarity in the regulation to make distinction between withdrawal of license and cancellation of license,” Lyonpo said.

According to BCTA’s record as of October 31 this year, the total number of licenses issued is 207,780 – of which 178,033 are ordinary driving licenses and 29,747 are professional driving licenses.