Essequibo Coast drivers fume over delay in licence renewal

…forced to travel to Georgetown to access GRA service

Drivers living in Region Two ( Pomeroon-Supenaam) are fuming over the long delay by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to start renewing drivers’ licences at its branch at Anna Regina.
Drivers whose licences are due for renewal are now being advised by the police, who previously renewed the licences that they are now required to travel to GRA’s headquarters in Georgetown to access the service.
Several drivers reached out to this publication and complained about the difficulties, both financial and otherwise, they are facing to travel to the city.
According to some of the drivers, when they go to GRA they have to wait for long periods and in some cases, after having waited, they are told that all their information is not in the system and they have to return to the Anna Regina Police Station. One driver complained that he travelled to the city and was told that all of his records are not in GRA’s system because it was done manually at Anna Regina.
Some drivers said that they have their licence for over 30 years and are now being told that their documents cannot be found and they may have to redo the practical test.
The police, since earlier this year, put a hold on the issuing and renewal of drivers’ licenses in the region.
The drivers who reached out to this publication claimed that they cannot drive since GRA does not have their records. They are calling on the Police Traffic Department and GRA to act quickly to remedy the situation since many of them depend on driving for a living.
Region Two is a predominantly agricultural region and many farmers heavily depend on their licence to operate their farm machines and to transport their produce to markets and mills. When contacted, Regional Chairman
Davanand Ramdatt said that he is very concerned about the matter and will be meeting with the region’s Police Commander shortly to try to resolve the matter.