The City of Cape Town’s Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) Department have, following an open tender process, chosen to continue working with Metrofile in the digitisation of license applications and renewals.
The need
Prior to the project, the City’s MVR Department was drowning in paper. The processes being used by the department were all manually driven and were resulting in lost and unresolved paperwork. It was against this backdrop that the City decided it needed to make a dramatic change in the way in which it processed information, and began exploring the use of a fully automated, digitised system that would enable it to store and retrieve information in realtime.
The original project to deploy the new system was started by Metrofile in 2002 and has enabled the City to deliver on the government’s mandate to improve service delivery, by increasing efficiencies in a previously laborious manual process.
Colin Miller, head of Motor Vehicle Registration for the City of Cape Town, says: “The growing volume of applications and renewals was proving to be a logistical nightmare for the City, particularly, given the growth in the number of vehicles on the road.
“The introduction of the ECT Act, however, provided us with a solution, one that allowed us to scan, store and access copies of the documents electronically. It also meant that we no longer had to keep the physical record, which is now destroyed confidentially and the paper recycled by Metrofile,” adds Miller.
The process
Metrofile and the City worked together to develop a process that ensured their ultimate goal of a fast and efficient licensing system was achieved. The department’s procedures and systems were reviewed, recommendations made and a process of working together agreed. Following a successful trial, the new system, which entails the microfilming, scanning and indexing of all records, was put into place. Images converted by Metrofile are uploaded to the City’s archive from where they can be accessed by staff in the Licensing, Traffic Services and Metro Police Departments.
Microfilming of the images ensure that the City adheres to the proviso’s within the ECT Act that allows for this format to be used legally for archival purposes
The project, which commenced in 2002, has been a resounding success for the City and resulted in an extended three year tender being awarded to Metrofile in August 2008. Today, the database exceeds 3 terabytes in size and contains more than 40 million scanned images. Currently the database is growing at around half a million images a month.
“Hard copy documents are destroyed three months after they have been scanned and thoroughly checked, saving the space and expense of maintaining a paper-based document storage and archiving system,” says Wayne Clarke, general manager of Metrofile’s Cape Town operation.
“The City of Cape Town MVR Department has not only utilised this project to fully comply with the relevant provisions within the ECT Act, it has also used the system to enhance service delivery and to vastly improve customer satisfaction,” comments Clarke.
The reality
The digital system provides the City of Cape Town MVR Department with a single database that is accessible by the licensing authorities, Traffic Services and the Metro Police. For the customer, this means minimised frustration resulting from incorrect, mislaid or lost documents, as the department can now recall all relevant information and documentation at the click of a button.
Additionally, service can be delivered faster as employees of the MVR Department do not have to manually search through reams of documents. For the City itself, the system also provides benefits, as Traffic Services have easy access to the details of offenders, which in turn, means more effective collection of fines.
“The City of Cape Town MVR Department has had a long relationship with Metrofile, characterised by great reliability on the company’s part,” adds Miller. “The company provides us with a solution that enables the City to access all documents relating to the registration of vehicles quickly and easily. In turn, this has enabled us to successfully service the requirements of internal departments, special investigations and the general public.”
“The ongoing success of our partnership has earned the department widespread recognition amongst our peers within the public sector, as well as our customers – the public. Much of this success can be attributed to the excellent levels of service delivery from Metrofile,” he concludes.
Benefits to date:
* Less paperwork to manage.
* Instant access to historical records.
* Documents stored in a secure database.
* Access to documents in realtime.
* Improved customer experience.
* Reduction in lost and misplaced documentation.
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