BMDA open to further discussions with govt about vehicle inspections

The Bahamas Motor Dealers Association (BMDA) is open to re-engaging in discussions with the government about dealerships and other certified service centers becoming vehicle inspection centers, in order to efficiently satisfy that aspect of the Road Traffic Department’s requirements for vehicle licensing, the BMDA’s Vice President Ben Albury told Guardian Business yesterday.

Albury said in an official BMDA statement yesterday that the last time the association had discussions with government about this idea was in 2008. However, those discussions did not lead to the decentralization of Road Traffic’s operations.

“Just like a lot of good ideas discussed, the administration changes or the focus changes,” said Albury.

“It was going to be a way of easing the burden and inefficiency of having that all run through Road Traffic. Also, it wouldn’t just be the major dealers, from the discussion we had before, it would be other certified service centers that would also be able to do vehicle inspections. It’s done like that in a lot of countries.”

Albury said his statement yesterday was in response to information being passed around social media suggesting that the BMDA has been contracted by government to carry out inspections.

Albury said the BMDA has not discussed the idea with government in 12 years.

“It’s a channel we’ve always left open. It’s nothing we pushed,” he said.

The statement added: “While the BMDA thinks it is a good idea to privatize the inspection process, as it is done all over the world, we have not been invited to any further meetings on this subject since we were approached by the minister of transport, the controller of Road Traffic and others in 2008.”

Albury said the BMDA would be willing to reopen the discussions, especially given the current situation at Road Traffic brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The licensing part can even be done on a digital platform,” Albury said.

“People wouldn’t even have to go into Road Traffic, they could come into the certified inspection center.”

The payment for inspection can simply be remitted to the government in the same way value-added tax (VAT) is sent.

Albury said moving the inspection process to dealerships and certified service centers would likely mean much more in-depth inspections. 

“In other countries they do it to ensure that testing is done to a certain level,” he said.

“They may be looking to make sure your brakes are up to par, to make sure your emissions are good, to make sure your tires are good.

“It would probably be a little more in-depth than what the current inspection process is. Some people may also not even know that their vehicle might not be safe. It would give us the opportunity to maybe identify these issues.”

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/bmda-open-to-further-discussions-with-govt-about-vehicle-inspections/