Rwanda plans to issue driving licenses for automatic vehicles by Jan 2020

Rwanda is set to commence issuing driving licenses for automatic vehicles effective by January 2020 for public road testing.

Just over a week back, Rwanda’s capital, Kigali experimented the eco-friendly motorcycles to see how it helps in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and enhances user mobility. When almost all the African countries are combating with the severe impact of climate change, the positivity of eco-friendly motorcycles is that they emit less carbon and reduce noise pollution. This is how they contribute to improving air quality and therefore safeguarding public health.

The Transport Division Manager at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Alfred Byringiro said that the new decision follows a petition by a private citizen to parliament in April last year that sought to amend the law on acquisition of driving licenses to allow for the use of automatic cars. “For now, we are about to submit a draft law in parliament concerning the amendment of the current law governing road traffic,” Alfred Byringiro elaborated to the local media in Kigali.

After the draft law is passed, Byringiro said, they will follow with the amending of the Presidential Order that stipulates how driving tests are done. The test vehicles must be equipped with monitoring devices that can monitor driving behavior, collect vehicle location information and monitor whether a vehicle is in self-driving mode.