How BRTA manages to be the 2nd-most corrupt agency despite digitalisation

Back in 2022, I showed the courage and enthusiasm to apply for my driving licence through the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's (BRTA's) online portal without contracting a "dalal" (unofficial agents that make government services smooth in exchange for a little "something").

It was an act of defiance against the public perception that no services can be availed from the agency without going through the "right" channel, meaning bribing.

I received my driving licence without spending a single taka outside the government-determined fees or contacting any influential Mama-Khalu, which I do not think I even have.

Yet, BRTA was identified as the second most corrupt institution in Transparency International Bangladesh's (TIB's) latest corruption survey conducted during 2023-24.

The "Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey, 2023", published in December 2024, revealed that 85.2% of the households that received services from this agency were victims of various forms of corruption. 

Shockingly, incidences of corruption in this sector were about 11% higher than those in law enforcement agencies (74.5%), which held the third position in the index.

How does this happen despite the digitalisation of the service? We decided to dive deeper. A recent investigation TBS carried out revealed that officials mainly exploit three loopholes inside the system to discourage service seekers from relying on the online service: an instruction gap, the requirement of physical visits and most notoriously, holding back the acknowledgement slip for a later time.

We found that while it is "possible" to get a service from BRTA through the online portal, one trying to do that is susceptible to unwanted delays unless they pay a bribe through a dalal. We also found that service seekers with low education or social status, such as professional drivers, are more likely to face corruption.

While it is possible to get a service from BRTA through the online portal, doing so is likely to result in unwanted delays — unless you pay a bribe. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

Instruction gap compels in-person visits

Very recently, when I decided to sell my car, I applied through the BRTA service portal, uploaded all the documents, and proceeded to pay online. The issue surfaced right there. A message popped up saying "the TIN information is not updated, contact ad@brta.gov.bd with papers/docs". 

We tried again, and another message popped up, this time claiming "name did not match".

Undeterred, we emailed the AD (assistant director) as instructed. The email bounced, and we received the mailer-daemon notification two days later, meaning the email provided does not work.

Why not dial the hotline number they provided on the website, we thought. We had all the time in the world!

Little did I expect that the call would actually be received. After five minutes of ringing, a very reluctant and somewhat irritated voice responded. Having heard the issue, the voice on the other end advised us to see the AD in person, or "it could take a long time".

Asked why one would need to visit the office physically while there is an online system, and the issue could most probably be resolved through a few key-strokes or mouse clicks, the operator could not provide an answer.

Hell-bent on trying our luck through the online system, we made a small compromise: we went to a nearby bank, made the payments and uploaded the e-tracking number found on the bank receipt, and it worked this time.

Now it was the turn to seek an appointment for a physical inspection at the BRTA, which is fine and essential for ensuring that nothing is wrong with the transaction of the ownership. The appointment could be availed without a hassle right on that very day. 

After waiting an hour in the queue of the cars, the inspector came. Once he checked the vehicle chassis number and all the papers and signed it, we asked what was next. The Ansar member accompanying the official said the acknowledgement slip would be available on the service portal. The official did not bother to answer.

Now, nowhere on the website was it mentioned that the old owner had to go to the office for biometric verification, nor did the official, when asked, reveal that. 

The lack of information had us waiting for days, with nothing showing up on the portal. When we called the hotline, the operator said the transfer is usually done within three to five business days, and advised us to visit the regional BRTA office if that does not happen.

Ten days after the inspection, we went to the office of Aftabul Islam, the inspector at the BRTA regional office in Diabari, Uttara.

The inspector asked why we did not give the biometrics on the day of the inspection. As we reminded him of what happened and asked for an explanation why there is no instruction available on what to do after the inspection, he asked us to see the deputy director, Md Tauhidul Islam Tushar.

To see how deep the rabbit hole goes, we complied. Irritated by the treatment he received, the buyer of the car, who also happens to be a journalist, identified himself in front of the deputy director. 

This probably robbed us of the opportunity to face what an ordinary service seeker would go through in the same situation, but we got a glimpse anyway.

Tauhidul was extra nice, lending his computer so we could sign in and get another appointment. The inspector Aftabul Islam told us to log onto the seller's profile, where they did not find any option to get an appointment for biometrics. 

As the officials looked baffled, the deputy director recognised the moment as an opportunity and said, "Let's find what's wrong with the online system, and we will learn from mistakes. The system is in the development phase."

We logged onto the buyer's profile and sought another appointment for inspection. We showed the officials how the system does not mention a biometric appointment. 

In the meantime, a crowd of service seekers gathered at the office. One of them was told by Aftabul Islam that the task would take longer, and the man said with a tired voice that he was from Kushtia and requested speedy service.

This is exactly what is wrong with BRTA's online management system. People are forced to visit the office, where they feel they must bribe the dalals for a swift service.

In fact, when I initially bought the car, the dealer had arranged the ownership transfer through a dalal who got me the acknowledgement slip in a single day. This time, trying to do what should be done on the internet had forced us to make physical visits three times already.

"Who would take the trouble?" Zia Najmul Islam, a neighbour of mine, asked me a year ago when I persuaded him to apply online for his bike's ownership transfer.

Zia went straight to a dalal instead and got it done without a hassle. 

Deputy Director Tauhidul Islam admitted this, saying, "When a service seeker faces a problem, they go to the photocopy/print shops here [near the BRTA office] and take the service from a dalal."

Many motorbike driving licence seekers who have paid bribes do not even attempt certain mandatory tests. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

No immediate acknowledgement slip

Having to visit the offices multiple times to get things done is not even the best weapon the bureaucracy has.

BRTA has a tradition of not giving a receipt for the papers submitted or tests passed.

As we verified the biometrics and went back to the inspector and submitted the hard copies of the documents, he told us to check the service portal for the acknowledgement slip.

We asked for a receipt for the documents we submitted. But Aftabul Islam refused to provide any, saying the "system" does not allow this. 

The deputy director acknowledged that a service seeker should be given the receipt immediately, but said this is not practised at BRTA.

"What if a corrupt official denies he received the documents?"  we asked Tauhidul.

He said our concern was valid and instructed the inspector to approve our application on the online system. It was done and the officials printed a copy of the acknowledgement slip for us.

An ordinary citizen would have to wait and rely on the relevant official's honesty to get the slip in the evening. The process itself does not provide any protection against corrupt practices.

Going back to my driving test in 2022, when I passed the test, the officials took note of the result but did not provide me with a temporary slip or certificate immediately, which could act as an evidence for me. Rather, we were told to visit the office in the evening to get a slip.

I was lucky to get the slip in the evening without hassle but many do not. Confusion arose about the result of a fellow examinee right in front of me. The man protested, and he was called inside. He later got his licence.

As part of our investigation, we interviewed a few other licence seekers. Most of them said they contracted a dalal for all the services at BRTA, including acquiring driving licences. They did not have to take the test seriously.

One driver, Babu, said he faced a debacle due to not getting a slip immediately after passing his driving test. He was denied a certificate later, saying he did not pass. The man fiercely protested and challenged the officials to take another test if they wanted. 

"As I protested, they told me not to make a fuss about it, and gave me the slip," he told TBS. 

"Others just sat in the driving seat and got the licences without passing the reverse parking test. Those seeking motorbike driving licences didn't even try to pass the figure 8 test. They had no trouble getting a licence," Babu added.

Another driver, Manik, said dope tests for professional drivers are another source of corruption for officials.

"You may get your licence without bribing, you have the education and all, but we can't even think of that," Manik said, adding, "So I didn't even try."

We also interviewed several dalals from around the BRTA offices in Mirpur and Diabari. They did not try to hide anything other than their names.

"Everyone knows how things are done in BRTA," said one man, admitting they give a part of their "fees" to officials for a smooth service.

"Why ruin my livelihood?" he asked, displeased at our effort to report on the corruption.