Authorities are seeking solutions to correct a system failure that left dozens of citizens driving without valid licences for months despite having renewed them, resulting in wrongful €85 penalties from traffic police.
The technical issue affected the road licence renewal system, with some applications being processed normally while others were rejected by the system despite initial payment confirmation from banks.
Transport ministry seeks solutions after months-long system problems
Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades confirmed the matter is being addressed and developments are expected soon. Citizens who received penalties must contact the Road Transport Department in writing to have their cases handled, he stated.
Vafeadis said he may approach the Attorney General regarding those who received extrajudicial notices from traffic police to determine how citizens can avoid paying penalties for problems they did not cause.
The Road Transport Department acknowledged in a statement issued late yesterday that the problem was identified from the beginning and resulted from a technical fault in the computerised system. The issues occurred during periods of high website traffic, particularly at the start of licence renewal periods and in the final days before expiry deadlines.
Police issue €85 penalties despite technical glitches
Traffic police intensified controls using vehicles equipped with number plate recognition systems, detecting numerous vehicles operating with expired 2024 licences. The enforcement campaign began despite the department’s awareness of the system problems for more than two months.
The situation became complicated when citizens who renewed licences for multiple vehicles found some processed successfully while others were not. One family renewed licences for three vehicles but only one was processed correctly, while another family faced renewal failures for three vehicles and was forced to pay penalties for each when renewing.
Citizens affected by the system failure now face a complex process to resolve their cases. They must contact the Road Transport Department via email, then approach traffic police to cancel the penalty, after which police must contact the Attorney General.
The department’s statement confirmed it has been in communication with affected citizens from the beginning and proceeded with corrections.
Citizens experiencing similar problems are requested to contact [email protected] for immediate resolution.