The City of Cape Town’s Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) department has seen a significant improvement in service delivery since it implemented a system with Metrofile Records Management – a group company of JSE-listed Metrofile Holdings Limited – to digitise motor vehicle license applications and renewals. This is largely a result of the efficiency of the system enabling the license application and renewal process to speed up drastically.
This is according to Wayne Clarke, Managing Director of Metrofile Records Management, who points out that there are an estimated one million cars on the road in Cape Town. “The growing number of motor vehicle registrations and license renewals became quite a logistical challenge for the city. The department made a decision to streamline the process through the use of technology and approached us to implement a solution.”
Clarke adds that it is refreshing to collaborate with such a forward thinking and ‘change ready’ organisation and that the process has served as a case study for Metrofile to assist similar customer service oriented organisations in transitioning smoothly to electronic storage systems.
“The introduction of the electronic records management system has allowed the department to scan, store and access copies of the documents electronically, meaning they are accessible at the click of a button and reduce administration times drastically. The ultimate objective for the MVR department was faster service delivery for its clients.”
Another huge benefit of the transition initiated by the department, is that it no longer has to store physical records, as they are archived via microfilm, which also satisfies the National Archive requirements. “Due to the fact that MVR documents are classified as A20 documents they need to be retained indefinitely, which can cause problems in terms of the space required for storage. This problem is solved by a microfilm solution which can store thousands of images and only takes up minimal space.”
Following the scanning of the images to an electronic records management system, as well as onto microfilm, the department retains the documents for three months, following which the documents containing sensitive information are confidentially destroyed and recycled in line with the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.
“This project has been a resounding success, especially due to the department’s extensive internal training and innovative culture, says Clarke. “Today the database exceeds 6 terabytes in size and contains more than 41 million scanned images, with an average of 580,000 images being scanned each month. The Cape Town MVR Department is truly setting a global example of efficiency and steady technological progression.”
Clarke explains that the City of Cape Town’s MVR Department is now equipped with a single database that is accessible by both the licensing authorities and the police. “There has also been a reduction in the amount of incorrect, mislaid or lost documents, as the department can now recall all relevant information and documentation instantly,” concludes Clarke.