E-licence trial hits pothole after surname bungle

THE Victorian digital licence pilot is off to a bumpy start after fifty-seven thousand customers in the Ballarat region received emails with incorrect surnames.

The State’s licensing and registration authority VicRoads sent emails inviting local motorists to take part in the trial, but names in the emails did not match the addresses or surnames of the recipients.

“We apologise to customers in Ballarat impacted by an error in the email inviting them to sign up for the digital driver licence pilot,” VicRoads registration and licensing services chief executive Dean Tillotson said.

Mr Tillotson also said the error had not compromised any personal details.

The Victorian Government announced the digital licence trial for Ballarat in May, with a statewide rollout planned for 2024.

The digital licence will allow motorists to store a copy of the document on government apps.

Mr Tillotson said he hoped the error would not deter people from taking part in the pilot.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for all Victorians to jump on board and say ‘look, we’re finally getting a digital driver’s licence’,” Mr Tillotson said.

“We’re definitely embarrassed, but as I said we would love people to jump on, give it a go and make it the best digital driver’s licence experience in Australia.”

Mr Tillotson said VicRoads would continue to accept motorist information for four to six weeks.

State Treasurer Tim Pallas apologised on behalf of the Victorian Government for the inconvenience caused to motorists.

“It looks like it’s a mail merge gone wrong,” he said.

– ADRIAN BLACK/ AAP