RTSA EXTENDS ITS FOOTPRINT – to enhance its road safety and transport service delivery mandate

THE Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has over the past years transformed into a customer centric institution with focus on extending its footprint to expand its road safety reach and road transport service delivery mandate.

The transformation agenda is anchored on  dramatically changing the manner in which it does business and how citizens experience its brand and services with a view of leveraging technology and the presence of other partners such as the local councils in a bid to take RTSA services closer to the people and rapidly raise the quality and reach of its safety and service delivery mandate.

RTSA just like many public agencies have critical and direct influence on people’s lives. The agency’s services are  a factor affecting everyday movement, livelihoods, recreation and safety of citizens but at the same time, the agency’s footprint is to serve the over 16 million citizens.

The need to elevate the agency’s footprint is motivated by the National Transport Policy 2019 – 2028 National, the RTSA Strategic Plan 2019 – 2021 Policy, the government’s Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) and the Vision 2030 which is a long-term plan that expresses the aspirations of the Zambian people to live in a dynamic and middle-income industrial nation that provides the well-being of all by harnessing opportunities for economic growth.

Therefore, RTSA will escalate its performance to execute its mandate. The agency will broadly work with key players such as the local councils to decentralise its presence especially in underserved regions in rural districts.

RTSA has escalated the initiative to decentralise its services to underserved regions, especially rural districts.

RTSA Director and Chief Executive Officer Gladwell Banda has disclosed that it has in the last 10 months devolved some of its road licensing functions such as payment of road tax and motor vehicle road worthiness to 11 local authorities across the country.

Mr Banda said the RTSA is leveraging the presence and the role of local government authorities to provide greater reach and reduce the burden and cost of citizens accessing its services. 

“This initiative is meant to extend our footprint to districts without RTSA’s presence. We have commissioned selected RTSA services over the last 10 months to 11 districts namely; Lundazi, Nyimba, Mbala, Mwense, Kafue, Luangwa and Mumbwa. Others are Kapiri Mposhi, Mwinilunga, Kabompo and Kasempa. The Agency’s target is to cover more underserved regions and during this period we have also opened three RTSA offices in Petauke, Serenje and Mokambo Border,” he said.

And Kasempa District Commissioner Chanda Mali hailed RTSA and Government for taking services closer to the people.  

Going forward, the RTSA is focusing on working with various stakeholders to achieve a high level adherence to service standards which will ensure that no one is left behind in line with Government’s goal of ensuring that Zambian people live in a dynamic and middle-income industrial nation that provides the well-being of all by harnessing opportunities for economic growth.

In a bid to take services closer to the people, the agency is also expanding access to its services by rapidly reaching to all Zambians by using digital platforms to increase access to the services.

The RTSA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Smart Zambia Institute, in 2020 unveiled the online payment portal under an integrated system called the Government Service Bus (GSB) and Payment Gateway System.

The RTSA online services system, presents various opportunities for the agency in terms of effective service delivery and an increase in the compliance levels for payment of fees such as road tax and other statutory fees.

The online payment portal is accessed through the RTSA and GSB website and interfaced with various electronic payment provider platforms.

The online payment solution allows customers to make cashless payments for services through the web-based online portal, mobile payments, debit cards, electronic points of sale, and electronic bank transfers.

In this regard, motorists are able to pay for services such as road tax online and print out the road tax token on bond paper which they will be required to display on the motor vehicle and will not be compelled to get a print out from RTSA service centres.

To ensure compliance and authenticity of print outs of the road tax token on bond paper, the RTSA has enhanced its traffic law enforcement using high-tech automated enforcement equipment to verify the legitimacy and validity of the road licence.

The bigger picture of this transformation agenda is to deliver a safe, efficient, client focused and inclusive road transport system which supports socio-economic development.