HCM City receives hundreds of applications for new or renewed vehicle badges every day. Photo thuvienphapluat.vn

HCM CITY — The People’s Committee of HCM City has proposed a comprehensive digital transformation of the licensing process for transport businesses, aiming to reduce administrative procedures and improve the business environment in the sector.

In an official document recently submitted to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Construction, the city recommends transitioning to a fully digital system for receiving and issuing electronic transport business licences and vehicle identification badges.

According to the city’s Department of Construction, the city currently manages 215,684 vehicles operated by 5,384 transport businesses. Between January 1 and April 18 this year alone, the department received 37,179 applications for new or renewed vehicle badges — averaging 496 per day, with peak days reaching up to 917.

In the same period, 618 applications for transport business licences were processed.

The city's authorities pointed out that the current system, which involves printing and distributing physical forms and documents, is costly and inefficient.

The state budget must cover significant annual expenses for printing, storing, and delivering these documents.

Furthermore, changes in document templates often result in inconsistency and waste.

“Enterprises must wait two to three days to receive their licences and badges, which affects their business operations and incurs additional transportation or postal costs,” the city said.

“The in-person collection of physical documents leads to crowds of 200 to 300 people per day, posing security and public order concerns.”

Additionally, tracking the use of physical forms and updating information remains difficult due to the lack of a unified, centralised data system managed by the Ministry of Construction.

These shortcomings not only result in resource waste but also diminish state management efficiency and reduce competitiveness in the transport industry.

To address these issues, the city has proposed to eliminate the printing and distribution of physical transport business licences and badges.

Instead, all data would be stored and managed via the Ministry of Construction’s online transport management platform.

Under the proposal, licensed transport businesses would be authorised to print their own badges and licences based on approved digital templates.

These documents would include QR codes for easy tracking and verification, allowing law enforcement and regulatory agencies to access real-time data.

The city also called on the Ministry of Construction to complete the development of a centralised digital platform that connects regulatory authorities with transport businesses, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and effective oversight.

“The new digital system would help reduce printing, delivery, and storage costs. Transport businesses could receive licences and badges immediately upon approval, rather than waiting days,” the proposal said.

“It also allows government agencies to monitor all data in real-time, reducing fraud and errors.”

Based on these expected benefits, HCM City seeks approval from the Prime Minister to pilot a fully digital process for issuing and storing transport business licences and badges.

All records would be maintained on the national online transport management system, with access and verification enabled via QR codes.

For vehicle badges specifically, once approved by the Department of Construction through the Ministry’s system, transport operators would print and apply the badges directly onto vehicles following approved specifications.

According to the city, this initiative will help simplify procedures, save resources, reduce costs for both government and businesses, and promote a more modern, efficient transport management system. — VNS