The DVLA has published its strategic plan for the next three years, including improving services for corporate customers and enhancing fitness-to-drive notifications as well as becoming a hub for digital motoring and tackling Vehicle Excise Duty compliance.
The strategic plan is focused on five areas, covering best-in-class customer services, dynamic technology and services, a hub for digital motoring, modern workplace and skills and unrivalled safety, security and compliance.
From the fleet perspective, the plan sets out a number of areas intended to improve service for corporate users. This includes introducing digital processes for commercial users to access DVLA services, especially in relation to the processing of bulk transactions for fleet companies. The DVLA added: “Resources released by cutting down more simplistic but labour intensive activity through digitisation will be refocused on the more complex and time consuming cases with commercial drivers a priority.”
The DVLA also said it would work on the continual improvement of its drivers’ medical services. Following a recent report that highlighted “major failings” by the DVLA in assessing fitness to drive, the agency said it has already made improvements, including a new online service that can be used by drivers to provide notification of medical conditions – launched to cover two medical conditions, this will be rolled out to include over 150 conditions.
The document also sets out plans to enhance the DVLA’s digital services, including removing paper documents where possible and providing digital options as a service, for example, for driving licences. This follows the news nearly a year ago that the agency had started work on a digital licence. The DVLA said it would also look at building new ‘interacting software’ to allow businesses and government to develop new services on top of its own, and added that it would also support DfT in ensuring readiness for the introduction of autonomous vehicles and their users.
The DVLA also sets out plans to reduce Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion. According to the DVLA’s annual report and accounts in the summer of 2016, revenue from VED fell by £93m in the year following the abolition of the paper tax disc. In response, the DVLA said it remains focused on bringing VED evasion down to 1% or lower, driven by measures such as enforcement, including wheelclamping where necessary and greater collaboration with law enforcement and courts.
Oliver Morley, DVLA chief executive, said: “Our goal is to get the right drivers and vehicles taxed and on the road as simply, safely and efficiently as possible. The last year has been one of great achievements and significant change for DVLA and has put us in a strong position to deliver better, simpler services to motorists. Our focus remains on providing best-in-class customer service for the motorist.”
