An Alberta government decision to no longer mail out renewal notices for driver’s licences and vehicle plates is catching some drivers by surprise.
Andy Guljas was supposed to renew his registration in April, but got a $300 ticket for driving with an expired licence plate in May.
“It was 21 days past due–I had no idea,” Guljas said. “I told the officer that I’m sure the government hasn’t sent me any papers yet.”
Guljas said he always knows when it’s time to renew his licence or registration when he gets a reminder letter. But on April 1, the government stopped doing that to save money.
“Thirty-five years–I’m used to that.”
Instead, drivers are supposed to remember their renewal month on their own, or sign up for an electronic reminder from a registry office or the government.
Registry offices like Southland Registry say staff are hearing about it from customers.
“We bear the brunt of the frustration at the front counter when people are upset about not getting a notice or they have gotten a ticket,” said Robyn Young, with the Association of Alberta Registry Agents. “It also takes longer to process at the counter because we have to manually process it, rather than having to scan a renewal.”
The minister in charge of vehicle registrations says the department reminded people of the change with radio and print ads, but admits she has heard some concerns.
“Certainly we want to make sure that Albertans are informed about this change, and going forward it continues to be as smooth as possible,” Minister Stephanie McLean said.
“We’re also undertaking a second phase of letting the public know about these changes.”
The government said since the announcement to discontinue mailed-out reminders, over 800,000 drivers have signed up for electronic reminders.
Guljas will take his ticket to traffic court, and hopes to convince an understanding judge to reduce his fine.
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