September, 2006 – Manitoba’s new driver’s licence will begin sliding into wallets next month as Manitoba Public Insurance rolls out a new system that will usher in a one-stop shopping process, increasing customer convenience while also bolstering security.
The equipment powering the change was unveiled recently, marking the beginning of a transition that will soon enable customers to renew their driver’s licence through any Autopac agent in the province, and on the same date as they renew their Autopac.
In addition to the new photo and image capture system, Manitobans will see three big changes in the coming months:
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Drivers will begin receiving their colourful new licence photo cards through the mail, instead of at point of sale.
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The next time drivers renew their licences, they will expire in three or four months, thereby bringing their licence renewal date into line with their Autopac renewal date.
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By December, Autopac agents in Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Dauphin and Thompson will join their rural counterparts in issuing and renewing driver’s licences.
“The end result of these changes will be a renewal system with one date to remember, one visit to make, and no more month-end lineups,” said Marilyn McLaren, President and Chief Executive Officer. “But first we have to go through a transition period, so we are encouraging customers to open their renewal notices as soon as they arrive and learn how the changes will affect them.”
The first to go through the renewal date alignment will be drivers born in the month of September. Renewal notices began arriving in their mailboxes in late August, along with information about the changes.
Those who are due for new photo cards and who renew at several urban driver licensing centres and rural brokers where pilot testing is under way will be among the first to test drive the new photo and signature capture system.
Manitoba Public Insurance has produced some helpful online tools to guide customers through the transition. A new interactive program on the corporation’s Web site, www.mpi.mb.ca, will calculate the renewal dates, prorated fees and other changes customers can expect to see, based on their individual birthdays and photo card expiry dates. Another interactive Web feature allows visitors to explore all the components and security elements of the new photo card.
“Our Web site tells you everything you need to know about the transition, every step of the way, and on a very individual basis,” McLaren said. “We want to do as much as we can to guide drivers through the short transitional period that will usher in the convenience of one annual personal renewal date, with many more renewal locations.”
