Motorists face long trips for licence photo

Motorists applying for a licence could be facing four-hour round trips to get their photograph taken for the credit card-size permits which come into use next week.

From September, applicants will no longer be allowed have their picture taken in a nearby pharmacy or by a local photographer. Instead, it must be captured by Credit Card Systems, a Dublin-based company appointed by the Road Safety Authority to operate the system nationally.

While it is understood that the company will provide more than one location in each county, it has yet to announce where those locations will be.

The new licences will also cost €55, more than double the current €25 charge.

At present, learner permit and driving licence applications are handled by motor taxation offices of local authorities. From September, this service will be transferred to the RSA’s National Driver Licence Service.

The Irish Pharmacy Union claims the change allows the chosen company to exclude the services of a significant proportion of participants currently operating in the market. It will have a devastating impact on companies and result in job losses, the organisation said.

@RSAIreland can you apply for a new driving licence on Monday to avail of the new card format and replace the current licence?

— Marcus Fahy (@marcusfahy) January 10, 2013

An IPU spokesman said the change was not an EU requirement. “It doesn’t make sense that you can get a passport photo taken locally by a pharmacist or photographer, or even yourself, but you now have to deal with a firm nominated by the RSA to get a driving licence picture taken.”

Mr Connolly called on the RSA to reconsider its approach and allow people the right to have their own photo taken in their local pharmacy if they so wished.

“This would ensure that consumer choice and a level playing field prevails in the market,” he said.

From Jan 19, all first-time learner permits and first- time driving licences will be issued in a plastic credit card-size format.

The RSA defended the cost of the new licence, saying it compared favourably with the cost of €62 in the UK and €100 in Australia.