LTO rolls out automated handheld device for issuing tickets

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday rolled out its handheld mobile device for issuing traffic tickets, in the hope of curbing bribery and ticket tampering.

According to a report by Oscar Oida on 24 Oras, the gadget is called the law enforcement handheld mobile device.

The LTO traffic enforcer uses the device by scanning the erring motorist's license and typing in the vehicle's license plate number.

The enforcer ticks the violation from a list and scans the motorist's fingerprint. The ticket is then printed out. The device also transmits the information to the LTO database.

In the event the internet connection drops, the enforcer can still input the information offline and upload it later.

"Meron po tayong tinatawag na offline mode. Kahit na wala tayong data, pwede natin i-insert dito [ang information] tapos pagdating sa office automatic na nagu-upload doon. Meron kami WiFi doon," said TRO2 Alvin Domingo of the LTO Law Enforcement Office.

Body cameras carried by the enforcers will also record each encounter.

The motorist can then bring the printout—the electronic temporary operator's permit—with them to the LTO central office within 72 hours of issuance to pay their fine and retrieve their driver's licenses.

The devices are currently limited to LTO enforcers, but enforcers of local governments in Metro Manila will soon be able to use them once the Metro Manila Council passes a traffic code to allow a single ticketing system and the same fines for violations across the National Capital Region's cities.

The system is still on a dry run, LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade said earlier, adding that eventually motorists will be given the option of paying the fines online and on the spot, and that the need to confiscate licenses will be eliminated. — BM, GMA Integrated News